43% more Indians take up GRE

Updated on: Thursday, February 09, 2012

As an indication that more Indian students look at foreign countries like the US for higher education, the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) had witnessed an increase of 43 per cent of students taking the test from India last year.

Eight lakh students took the examination from around the world in 2011, an increase of 13 per cent over last year.

“The growing use of GRE scores by business schools is great news for prospective students who now have more opportunities for success.

Applicants can take one test to pursue either graduate school or an MBA,” said Mr David Payne, vice president and chief operating officer of ETS’s higher education division, which conducts GRE. While growth was recorded throughout the world, including Europe, Africa and other regions, India saw a noteworthy 43 per cent increase and China a 28 per cent increase in test volumes.

Mr N. Aakaash, a final year B.Tech Electronics and Communication Engineering student at VIT University, said, “GRE figures show the lack of ambience in graduate education within the country.

The Union government should have more institutions focusing on research than on course work, increasing number of IIT-like institutions and IISc, especially to focus on basic research would be a good option.” He said for a student like him, countries like USA, UK and Germany were preferred destinations for higher education and research; India came last in his list.

43% more Indians take up GRE

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