The intimidating barriers for entry to India's top colleges have had an unexpected fallout. If the rise in student visa applications this year is anything to go by, students, instead of downgrading their choices and settling for second- or third-best, are increasingly looking westwards and flooding American universities with admission applications.
Data released by the US embassy reveals that the number of Indian students who have applied for visas to study in the US is up 20% over last year. Education counsellors say they are seeing large crowds again, the vital difference being that the students seeking advice are much younger. While 24,500 Indian students were granted visas to join American universities last year, most went there for a Masters and 14.5% joined a grad school. "But this year has seen a phenomenal rise in the number of undergraduate students," said counselor Pratibha Jain.
Data released by the US embassy reveals that the number of Indian students who have applied for visas to study in the US is up 20% over last year. Education counsellors say they are seeing large crowds again, the vital difference being that the students seeking advice are much younger. While 24,500 Indian students were granted visas to join American universities last year, most went there for a Masters and 14.5% joined a grad school. "But this year has seen a phenomenal rise in the number of undergraduate students," said counselor Pratibha Jain.