Check credentials of university before applying: US official

Updated on: Thursday, November 17, 2011

Visa fraud issue by the Tri Valley varsity in the US is an aberration, but could not be avoided as there are some in both the countries who are looking to make fast buck through this route, a top US official has said.

As such the United States urges overseas students, in particular in India, to do proper research before applying for an American university and to get consultation from EducationUSA advisors based in their country, the official told foreign reporters at the Washington Foreign Press Center.

The Tri Valley university was raided and shut down by US authorities earlier this year on charges of a massive immigration fraud. Over 1000 Indian students studying in the California-based university were affected.

"Those kinds of things (Tri Valley University) are going to happen in any system that is as open market as the United States. I would say, number one, it's a rarity. It doesn't happen very often," said Adam Ereli, Acting Assistant Secretary for Education and Cultural Affairs.

"Number two, the US Government, or at least the Bureau of Education and Culture Affairs in the State Department, is working to ensure that if students go to the United States to study, that the process of finding out about the university, communicating with the university, is done in an open and transparent way. And frankly, that's why we've established this network of educational advising called EducationUSA," he said in response to a question about Tri Valley fraud.

These are professional educational advisors, both local and American, who usually work in US Embassies. In India they work through the Fulbright Foundation.

"They're open to anybody, any citizen of the country who wants to come and find out about opportunities for studying in the United States," he said.

"They will advise you on what kind of university it is, what its advantages, its disadvantages, its strong points, its weaker points, the process for application, help you go through the process, sometimes help defray the cost of application," he said.

"I would say that there are going to be the rare and unusual problem that is characteristic of any free market environment. But the way to avoid that is to rely on the EducationUSA network, which is designed to help students negotiate or navigate the process, what is a very complicated and often misunderstood process," Ereli said.

The US official said not every Indian student who goes to study to the US is going to go through the educational advisor.

"There are recruiters out there in every country, not just India, who are out there making money by recruiting students, and they don't care where they go, just as long as they go somewhere, because they get their money by the number of students they recruit," Ereli said.

"So there is, unfortunately, going to be cases like this. They can't be totally prevented. If I have a message for you to communicate to your readers is be careful, ensure that the university that you're applying to is recognized, has a track record, is in the catalogue, the educational catalogues, and if its not a public university, it is a not for profit university. Because that means that theyre not trying to exploit anybody," he said.

"So everybody has a responsibility in this. We have a responsibility in this; the consular officer has a responsibility, but the student and the families of the students are also responsible for where they end up and making the right choice. We want to help you make that choice. We've got the network to do that, but ultimately its up to the student," Ereli said.

Check credentials of university before applying: US official

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