Be Money Aware

Studying in a foreign university was earlier for super rich or many went to do Masters and that too with a scholarship. In India, the number of good quality colleges(IIT, Medical, Arts Colleges) are limited and the competition is fierce. Entrance exams are mandatory, and to be a part of a good college ) you need to secure a good ranking.  Now many children are going for a foreign degree even at the undergraduate level and without a scholarship. USA, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia are some popular destinations to attend university. An overseas education has several distinct advantages, flexibility in the curriculum, state of art research facilities, world-renowned professors, cross-cultural learning. This article looks at the reasons for Indian students going for international education, and looks at the cost and other factors of foreign education in different countries .

According to World Education News and Reviews, an education news portal, the number of Indian students enrolling in seven key foreign destinations has more than doubled from 1.38 lakh to 2.8 lakh in the past decade.

• Studying in the US went up from 132,888 in 2014-15 to 186,267 in 2016-17.
• Studying in Australia went up from 60,000 in 2016 to 68,000 Indian students

Why are Parents Looking for International Education?

Tough Entrance in India

IIMs(Indian Institute of Management), IITs(Indian Institute of Technology), and AIIMS(All India Institute of Medical Sciences) are amongst India’s dream schools that lakhs of students contest to get admission in. The rat race to secure admission is intense one needs to ace entrance exams for certain disciplines for e.g. Joint Entrance Exams (JEE mains) for engineering colleges and National Eligibility and Entrance Test(NEET) for medical colleges.

According to a Press Trust of India report, more than 250,000 students registered for 56,000 seats at 61 colleges for undergraduate courses in DU on its admission portal in 2018. T

SRCC has the highest cutoff for B.Com.(Hons) and B.A.(Hons) Economics at 97.75 per cent and 98.5 per cent respectively. The highest cutoff for B.A.(Hons) English has been released by Hindu College at 98 per cent.

The Hindu analysed last year’s cut-off on the parameters of the CBSE 2017 results and scores of students. In its report, it said that the number of students scoring 90 per cent and above in 2018 is 72,599, which is an increase of about 19,000 from last year.
First Cut off list for Hansraj College: The North campus college has kept the cut off for B.A. (Hons) English at 97.25 while the cut off for B.A.(Hons) Economics is 98 per cent.

High cut-offs cause even the brightest students to give up on their hope to secure admission in course of their choice at a college of their preference. Eventually, students with a strong academic standing and enough budget choose to further their higher education abroad at a university of high repute

More Options of Study

An often raised concern about the Indian education system is that its academic institutes focus only on delivering popular STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) courses. There is a lack of professional institutes for students who wish to take the road less-travelled. There is a rich variety of courses available to international students in countries like the US, UK, and Canada. Contemporary, unconventional, mixed courses such as entertainment, sports, psychology are offered in international countries. For e.g. a student who wants to study filmmaking in India has fewer film academies or schools to choose from and may end up with just a diploma. Whereas the same student can pursue a fully accredited bachelor’s degree and study filmmaking in greater depth if the course is pursued abroad.  or You can double major in Physics and Music with a minor in European Art.

Better Research Opportunities

Bookish knowledge and rote learning become things of the past. Students pursuing subjects especially in research-centric areas like biology or pharmacy do not receive enough support from Indian colleges in terms of infrastructure and resources. Whereas colleges in America, Canada, Britain etc are abundant with resources to provide students with sophisticated technologies, equipment, and infrastructure to conduct in-depth research. One can attend lectures by Nobel Laureates, industry experts, renowned scholars, academics, political leaders.

Settling after studies

Countries like the US and Canada offer attractive job prospects post-graduation and their flexible immigration policies allow students to seek employment on completion of studies

Global exposure

One truly evolves into a global citizen. The diversity of the students you will encounter and the opportunity to live in another country, which is an education in and of itself. The challenges of each country and the way they can create new educational and professional opportunities are also worth considering.

People feel that overseas the study environment is very conducive for holistic learning as the Equal emphasis is given to academics, extra-curricular activities and work experience at the time of admission.

This has forced many Indians to look overseas.

Which countries are Parents Looking for International Education?

The United Kingdom: The Mecca of foreign education, the UK is home to globally renowned universities. Indian students are studying in a large number here as the UK government and UK universities provide numerous scholarships for Indian students in the UK.

The United States of America: The USA takes pride in its Ivy League colleges. A lot of Indian students are choosing to study in the USA for the excellent research facilities and Master’s degree. Many universities here give internship in USA opportunities to Indian students in top technology companies.

Australia: Many world-ranked universities are here providing amazing academic opportunities to Indian students. Of late, the country has emerged as the top study abroad destination for Indian students.

Canada: A dream destination for Indian students, Canada is home to some of the best universities teaching Arts, IT and Business. Excellent post-study work options are available here along with an internship in Canada chances.

New Zealand: A very beautiful country, New Zealand is also a highly attractive study abroad destination for useful Post Study Work Rights. Data shows, over 28,000 Indian students were enrolled at universities here in 2015 which is a 150 percent increase since 2010. Also, according to the high commission, 28% increase has been recorded in the number of Indian students choosing to study at New Zealand universities in 2017.

Ireland: This neighbouring country of the UK is also selected by a lot of Indian students. In 2016 there were over 2000 Indian students in Ireland, and this number is increasing every year. The country is incredibly beautiful having world-ranked universities.

Singapore: Truly cosmopolitan, Singapore attracts Indian students in large number. About 3,000 Indian students are going there every year as getting a job and work permit is easy here due to low population.

Germany: Yet another favourite destination of Indian students, Germany allotted over 13,500 college seats to Indian students in the year 2016. The number of Indian students here has increased threefold in the past seven years and Indians form the 2nd largest group of international students. No tuition fee is the biggest USP here.

Malaysia: Various scholarships are offered in different fields, like Science and Engineering, Agriculture, Fisheries, Biotechnology, IT, Food Security and Environmental Science.

Dubai: Indian students are also choosing Dubai, especially for civil engineering, as they can work in an internship program with university approval here.

Comparing Countries for International Education for Indian Students

Many counties like Canada, UK have a strategy to attract international students called as National Marketing Strategy. For example the National Marketing Strategy of Canada says it is our blueprint to attract talent and prepare our country for the 21st century. With the support of all the players in the research and education fields—provinces and territories, educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, the private sector—we can make Canada a world leader in international education and ensure our future prosperity

Cost of Studying in Countries like USA, UK

One needs to look at Tuition Cost and Cost of Living etc.

If you take the cost of living, comprising accommodation, conveyance, academic supplies, health insurance and entertainment, add another Rs 10 lakh. The cost of living in foreign countries is also significantly higher. For instance, you will need Rs 5.3 lakh in New York or Rs 3.7 lakh in Sydney to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with Rs 1 lakh in New Delhi.

You also need to factor in inflation and rupee depreciation. The rupee has fallen to 74 against the dollar, which is bad news for those planning to study abroad.

Cost of Studying in theUnited States of America  USA

One year’s tuition fee in some Ivy League colleges can be almost Rs 30-35 lakh— almost equal to the total expense incurred on the child’s school education. Even second rung colleges cost the earth. A master’s course from a public US college costs Rs 20 lakh a year.

If you are planning to send your child abroad for studies, keep a target of at least Rs 50 lakh per year for a three-year course. Factor in 8% inflation to calculate the future cost. In 10 years, the present cost of Rs 50 lakh for a three-year course would have risen to Rs 1.07 crore. An eight figure amount may seem daunting right now, but it is achievable if you have enough time and discipline. Depending on your risk appetite and existing savings, find out how much you need to save every month to reach that goal comfortably

Cost of Ivy League Colleges in $ in USA

Cost of studying in Australia

Tuition Fees
Rs 10-16 lakh for an undergraduate course
Rs 12–18 lakh for a postgraduate course

real fears about not being able to find food suitable to Indian eating habits or a frugal minded aversion for paying high prices abroad for cheap Indian staples.

Mahatma Gandhi understood this, and perhaps his first attempt at writing a book was a Guide to London that he wrote, off and on in 1893-94, during free time in his early years as a lawyer in Pretoria, South Africa. The book was never finished, but the manuscript was retrieved years later by his secretary Pyarelal, and it provides a fascinating early glimpse of the preoccupations of Indian students abroad.