Foreign students undeterred by agitations

Updated on: Thursday, August 26, 2010

Contrary to fears that Hyderabad will not be a preferred destination for foreign students in view of the Telangana agitation, the number of foreigners seeking higher education at Osmania University has increased considerably compared to last year.

So far, the university has processed applications of 1,700 students while the number of admitted candidates was only 1,463 last year. The number is likely to cross 2,000 with MBA, MCA and Engineering admissions yet to begin.

“This is a reflection of the craze for Osmania University education among foreigners and the structured admission process adopted by the University,” says T.L.N. Swamy, Director, University Foreign Relations Office (UFRO). He agreed that the university feared some drop due to constant media focus on campus agitations but now they are happy that the image is not dented.

An interesting aspect is the enhancement of students supported by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and those supported by their respective countries through scholarships. The ICCR allocates foreign students to different universities and if it feared disturbances in OU, it would have opted for other varsities in the country. Out of the 1,700 applications processed, nearly 500 are ICCR sponsored candidates. Last year only 149 sponsored candidates were admitted.

Prof. Swamy says that 214 candidates have applied for Ph.D this year, of which 149 have already been issued admission letters and most of these candidates are sponsored by their respective Governments. It also reflects the confidence of those Governments in OU academics.

Number of students getting admitted in Certificate Course in English for Foreign Students (CCFS) is also increasing. This one-year programme is a hit with students from China, Middle East and Central Asia where students are poor in English language and communication skills. They take up regular courses after acquiring the necessary skills here.

Foreign students undeterred by agitations

More Education news