STUDY IN INDIA: Top states for foreign students in India

Foreign students flock to a handful of states with quality institutions and courses backed by good infrastructure and weather conditions. Rest of the states are yet to catch up...

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12: Over 46,000 foreign students are currently studying in India and the government hopes to increase the number to two lakhs by 2023 through the ‘Study in India’ programme. Only some of the states in the country have been able to attract a large number of foreign students, while others are yet to join the bandwagon. Slowly, the country is picking up pace with states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Delhi NCR region taking the lead.

Karnataka
The southern state leads the pack with 12,040 foreign students, accounting for nearly one-third of the total foreign student population in India. A growing number of students from the Middle East and African countries flock to Karnataka mainly to pursue studies in medicine and engineering. It also has the highest enrolment numbers for allied medical courses among the foreign students with a majority of them belonging to Malaysia. Bengaluru, Mysore and Manipal are the most popular destinations for students from nearly 65 countries who study in Karnataka.

Top institutions: Bangalore University, Visvesvaraya Technological University, Mysore University and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE).
Top courses: MBBS, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Computer Applications.

Maharashtra
Maharashtra is in the second spot in attracting foreign students to India. Pune and Mumbai have been the top destinations offering high quality education with the vibrant culture of these cities playing a big role in attracting foreign students. Maharashtra has 4,306 international students with Pune playing a pivotal role. Pune stands out among the other Indian cities as it is home to a number of quality academic and research institutes. Many students opt for Pune because of its pleasant weather and good accommodation facilities.

Top institutions: Savitribai Phule Pune University, Symbiosis Intl’ University, Bharati Vidyapeeth University and the University of Mumbai.
Top courses: Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Arts and BCom.

Tamil Nadu
The state has seen a surge in the influx of foreign students in the past few years, thanks to its focus on quality institutions and aggressive promotional activity by its top private universities. Tamil Nadu is a popular choice for medicine courses, while at the same time drawing the highest number of international students to commerce and science studies. With 3,542 students, Tamil Nadu has the third-highest number of international students after Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Top institutions: VIT University, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Anna University.
Top courses: Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Dental Surgery.

Delhi and NCR
National capital Delhi continues to be an important destination for foreign students, with the University of Delhi alone admitting over 2,000 students from close to 70 countries. There are a couple of other universities in the National Capital Region (NCR) which have also been able to attract foreign students. Subjects like Science, Economics, English, History, Mathematics and Geography are very popular among foreign students. Students from Africa, neighbouring nations like Nepal, Bhutan and SAARC countries also opt for professional courses. Another university which has cemented Delhi’s position as an international student city is the South Asian University (SAU), along with Amity University, Noida.

Top institutions: University of Delhi, South Asian University, Amity University.
Top courses: Science, Economics, English, History, Mathematics and Geography.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are the two other states which have been attracting foreign students. While Andhra Pradesh has 2,092 international students, Telangana is slightly ahead with 2,877. Around 2,500 students are enrolled in Osmania University and its affiliated colleges. Prior to its bifurcation, Andhra Pradesh was not only the state sending the highest number of students abroad but was also attracting a large number of foreign students. Andhra Pradesh has also taken special care to ensure that foreign students keep coming there. For example, Andhra University has a state-of-the-art students’ hostel dedicated exclusively to international students.

Top institutions: Osmania University, Andhra University, Kakatiya University.
Top courses: Bachelor of Technology, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Computer Applications.


INTERVIEW
Prof. A. Ravinder Nath, Dean, Development & UGC Affairs, Osmania University

"QUALITY EDUCATION AT A MINIMAL COST"

Q. Could you tell us the number of foreign students currently studying in Osmania University?A. Right now, there are around 4,000 students enrolled with Osmania University, it also includes students studying in affiliated colleges, as we cannot accommodate all the students in the university.

Q. From where all do students come to Osmania?
A. Majority of the students are from the Middle East. We also have a sizeable number of students from Africa, now we also get students from East Asian countries and also some from China.

Q. Are these students taking direct admission or come through ICCR?
A. We get students from both the modes; in fact, 60 percent of students take direct admissions. The students come on their own as the cost of living is cheap; the cost of education and quality of education is good as compared to many places. The existing students and our alumni are our brand ambassadors. It is because of them we get a good number of foreign students.

Q. What are the popular courses for foreign students?
A. BBA and BCA are the most popular courses among foreign students. We also get students for other courses like engineering, social sciences and sciences. They do their undergraduate studies here and for master’s or PhD, they go to countries where value addition is more.
Osmania is running a special MBA batch only for foreign students and there is a very high demand for this course. The batch size is only 60 but we get 200-300 applications every year.
One of the important reasons for students coming to India is that these institutions are accredited institutions. So, if they wish to go to Europe or the US for their higher education in future, it helps in their vertical mobility for the same. Studying in Europe or the US will cost them much more.

Q. Students usually face several issues in a foreign country nation. How does Osmania help them?
A. We have a full-fledged University Foreign Relations Office (UFRO) and we help them with a coaching programme to improve their English and computer skills.