India is a country with thousands of years old civilization, culture, heritage, diversity and is an excellent destination for international students for academics. India is also famous for its ancient education system and some of the oldest universities in the world, namely Nalanda University and Takshila University. The ‘Study in India’ campaign launched by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in India enables the international students to obtain information about the colleges and universities listed on the portal and easily apply for admission. India’s honourable PM at the BRICS Outreach Meeting with African countries had stated: Several African students come to India to study and also receive scholarships.
In India, University Grants Commission (UGC) is the body that regulates university education, while technical education is regulated by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and medical education by the Medical Council of India.
Let us have a look at some of the factors as to why international students prefer India for studies:
High-quality education and research opportunities: Indian universities offer plenty of opportunities for training and research in almost every field possible. Some of the research done by students in universities is sponsored by government and private sector companies both. Education and online classes have gone digital in most universities and colleges nowadays, paving the way for better learning and understanding.
Sharda University, India was established through an Act of State Legislature, Uttar Pradesh (14 of 2009), has a 63-acre campus, provides facilities, environment, and resources of globally benchmarked standards, faculty from globally renowned universities from U.S., U.K., Europe and Russia, has 250+ tie-ups with international institutes for semester exchange programmes, provided 2000+ scholarships, has 13000+ students on campus from 85+ nations and provides a career enriching and rewarding experience. Sharda University also supports the entrepreneurs via ‘The Next StartUp’, ‘Syncubator’, and ‘Xcelerator’ programmes.
Scholarship and Placements: The premier universities and colleges in India have an excellent placement record and offer scholarships to economically weaker students or as prescribed by the central and state governments. Also, some of the premier institutes (like Sharda University, India) have tie-ups with international universities and students have an option to spend a semester abroad in world-class institutes.
Sharda University has an 80% overall placement record for its students, and till date, 150+ MNC’s and 350+ recruiters have visited the Sharda campus for placement activities. It also offers various types of scholarships to its students like academic merit-based scholarship, U.P. Govt and MHRD scholarships, defence scholarships, sports scholarship, sibling scholarship, SGI scholarship, fee waiver for economically weaker meritorious students.
Corporate experience: In Indian universities, industrial visits and corporate internship is necessary and is a part of the curriculum, so that the students can work in an organization and get practical hands-on experience of the various industry practices and processes. Many of these corporates also offer a job to the students after passing out, if their performance is excellent.
Location and connectivity: The proximity of college/ university to the organizations, firms and businesses plays a crucial role at the time of placements. Also, the connectivity of the university via international airport, railways and metro means that the students can reach directly to campus, can attend corporate trainings without having to worry about transportation medium and costs. There are colleges and universities throughout India, but international students prefer bigger cities like New Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru etc. Delhi NCR has emerged as a hub for higher education due to metro culture, presence of international students and quality education.
Delhi NCR region in India is well connected via Metro, railways, buses and has a domestic and international airport too. Major taxi services like Uber and Ola are also present to carry passengers to their destination.
Ease of getting visa: It is easier to apply for and obtain a student visa in India for academic purposes than in the USA, U.K. and European countries. Also, the culture of India and its neighbouring countries (Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan) along with Africa is not that different, which makes it one of the most preferred locations for graduation and higher studies.
Affordable cost of living: The cost of living in India is significantly less compared to U.S., U.K. and European counterparts. Also, the USD, EUR and other currencies have an excellent exchange value in Indian Rupees due to the foreign exchange rates, which enables the students to pay for their fee for colleges which is way lesser than that in the USA, the U.K. and Europe.
Rich cultural history and ample travel opportunities: India has centuries-old rich cultural history and diversity, and that is evident in the historical monuments dating back many centuries as well as natural scenic places to visit which will leave anyone awestruck. All of these places are well connected via railways, buses and sometimes by airways too. Anyone can easily book flights and train tickets online and explore the natural beauty of India.
There are many other factors which play a decisive role in choosing a college in India or elsewhere, and these include the quality of education, presence of international faculty, infrastructure and amenities available in the campus, tie-ups with international universities, library and online learning facilities, international semester exchange programme, a dedicated placement cell, accreditation of the university and more. The student must carefully take into consideration all these factors and more, do their research, read reviews, rankings and talk to someone in that university before finally taking admission in that educational institute.
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