Changes in DASA scheme

Updated on: Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The procedure of admitting students from abroad to Centrally-sponsored premier technical education institutions in the country under a government scheme will change from the next academic year (2011-12). The admission fee too will be hiked.

Students from abroad are admitted since 2001-02 under Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) scheme of the Union Government. Till this year, they could join only undergraduate courses. The government is examining a proposal to open up M.Tech. and MBA courses as well from 2011-12. It is yet to be finalised.

The Government has appointed National Institute of Technology-Karnataka (NIT-K) at Surathkal, near Mangalore, as the coordinating institute for admissions from the academic year 2010-11 to 2012-13.

The NIT-K, which admitted 733 students from abroad under the scheme in this academic year, is gearing up for coordinating admissions for 30 premier institutes for 2011-12. The complete list of participating institutes will be available in April, 2011.

Sandeep Sancheti, Director, NIT-K, said that foreign nationals, persons of Indian Origin and Non-Resident Indians are admitted under the scheme.

Institutes

The admissions will be made to 23 National Institutes of Technology (NITs); four Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh; PEC University of Technology at Chandigarh; Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering Technology at Longowal in Punjab; and National Institute of Foundry and Forge Technology at Ranchi in Jharkhand.

SAT marks

The change in admission procedure pertains to marks scored in SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) subject tests conducted by the College Board in the U.S. The SAT subjects are Mathematics level II, Physics and Chemistry.

The government has fixed the minimum score for admissions for the next academic year. No minimum score had been fixed for this year's admission.

The minimum total score in SAT subject tests has been fixed at 1,800 for next year's admission. The maximum score is 2,400. Hence only those students who have scored between 1,800 and 2,400 are eligible for admission.

The SAT subject test score has to be submitted online through the college board to NIT-K (designated institute code is 6530). For details on SAT subject tests log on to www.collegeboard.com.

Prof. Sancheti said that NIT-K will announce the merit list of candidates. The list will be based on the score of SAT subject tests.

He said that a complete list of participating institutes with seat matrix will be available on www.dasanit.org at the launch of online application process on April 1, 2011.

The other minimum qualifications which had been fixed earlier will continue.

Hike in fee

Prof. Sancheti said that the registration fee and first year tuition fee will be hiked from $ 4,250 this year to $ 7,250 next year. They are required to be paid along with the application form.

He said that there will be 50 per cent reduction in fee (tuition fee only) for those students from SAARC countries provided they have studied in SAARC countries only. They need to pay only $ 3,900.

The Director said that if the government approved admissions for M.Tech. and MBA courses as well from 2011-12, the premier institutes will have more students from abroad.

So far, students from more than 30 countries have been admitted under DASA.

Student ambassadors

NIT-K, from last year, has taken steps to publicise and market the courses being offered by the premier institutes abroad using student ambassadors.

According to it, students who have been admitted under the scheme market the institutes while they return to their respective countries during their vacation.

G. Sriniketan, Dean (Academic) at NIT-K, said that this year 30 students are on the job in Singapore, Australia, the U.S., African countries, Nepal, Bangladesh and West Asia.

Changes in DASA scheme

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