Indian Students Looking Elsewhere
http://www.lawsays.net/articles/11640/1/Indian-Students-Looking-Elsewhere/Page1.html
Bobby Castro
Bobby Castro is the online editor at the NRI community, where he has published a number of articles about NRI Indians living in Ireland and many other topics. By Bobby Castro
Published on 01/27/2012
Students from India are choosing other education destinations aside from the usual places. Now, Canada, Germany and Singapore are the top destination choices.
Just a couple of years back, Indian students needed to complete volumes of essays, pass English tests such as TOEFL and IELTS and have hours and hours of meetings with bank managers as part of the ritual in applying for a student visa overseas. With all the work put in, many Indians hoped to be educated in the prestigious educational institutions in the UK, US or Australia.
Nowadays though, a surprising trend has emerged where Indian students are now shying away from the top three countries and are finding alternative countries to seek educational opportunities. Overall, Indian students are second only to the number of Chinese students currently spread worldwide seeking education as well as opportunities in countries beyond their borders. Many opt to seek greener pastures elsewhere and amongst the reasons are better opportunities and social recognition.
Many Indian students though are opting to find educational opportunities in Continental Europe, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand or China and foregoing other historically favored destinations. The sudden decrease in applications to the United States, United Kingdom and Australia have been quite alarming with Australia registering the greatest decrease, with a drop of 77% in applications for 2010 compared to that of 2009.
The United Kingdom educational scene also has seen a significant drop, with only 41,350 Indians going in 2010 compared to 57,000 in 2009. As for the United States, the numbers fell by 32% in 2009-2010 from the previous year, making the Indian student population fall second to the number of Chinese students in American student population.
The number one favored destination nowadays has been Canada, as the number of student applicants increased by 280% in 2010 compared to 2008. Another country experiencing a major influx is France, where there is an increase of 20% in the number of enrollees while Germany has also had a 15% increase in the number of students in 2010 compared to 2009.
Aside from continental Europe, another major destination has been Singapore. While there have been no official figures from the Singaporean government but education consultants from India has reported that there has been a steady increase of 20% in the intake of students every year since 2009.
Many students face a quandary when seeking educational options overseas. The study curriculum in Canada and the US are far more flexible, allowing for expansive options in the course and degree of study. On the other hand, Singapore offers very few scholarship options while Germany has the language barrier issue when applying for scholarships. In the end, all other options require sources of funding for books, accommodations and other expenses during schooling.
Nowadays though, a surprising trend has emerged where Indian students are now shying away from the top three countries and are finding alternative countries to seek educational opportunities. Overall, Indian students are second only to the number of Chinese students currently spread worldwide seeking education as well as opportunities in countries beyond their borders. Many opt to seek greener pastures elsewhere and amongst the reasons are better opportunities and social recognition.
Many Indian students though are opting to find educational opportunities in Continental Europe, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand or China and foregoing other historically favored destinations. The sudden decrease in applications to the United States, United Kingdom and Australia have been quite alarming with Australia registering the greatest decrease, with a drop of 77% in applications for 2010 compared to that of 2009.
The United Kingdom educational scene also has seen a significant drop, with only 41,350 Indians going in 2010 compared to 57,000 in 2009. As for the United States, the numbers fell by 32% in 2009-2010 from the previous year, making the Indian student population fall second to the number of Chinese students in American student population.
The number one favored destination nowadays has been Canada, as the number of student applicants increased by 280% in 2010 compared to 2008. Another country experiencing a major influx is France, where there is an increase of 20% in the number of enrollees while Germany has also had a 15% increase in the number of students in 2010 compared to 2009.
Aside from continental Europe, another major destination has been Singapore. While there have been no official figures from the Singaporean government but education consultants from India has reported that there has been a steady increase of 20% in the intake of students every year since 2009.
Many students face a quandary when seeking educational options overseas. The study curriculum in Canada and the US are far more flexible, allowing for expansive options in the course and degree of study. On the other hand, Singapore offers very few scholarship options while Germany has the language barrier issue when applying for scholarships. In the end, all other options require sources of funding for books, accommodations and other expenses during schooling.