Articles
Study Abroad: How to pick the university of your choice
Most students are confused about the country to decide while planning their admission overseas, writes Pankaj Jain
https://www.educationtimes.com/article/editors-pick/86426477/study-abroad-how-to-pick-the-university-of-your-choice
In early 2000, most Indian students planned to visit a few English-speaking countries such as the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada. Today there are many options to choose from – France, Germany, Dubai, Switzerland, China, Japan, Netherlands, a lot of countries of Europe, Korea, Russia, Philippines, Ukraine etc. Considering the pandemic disruption, it is important to make wise decisions by students and parents.
Important factors
Most students decide their plans based on factors such as fees, scholarships, work option after study -Post Study Work (PWS), settling down option- Permanent Residency (PR) and the location of the country.
Objectives
Very few students consider the details of the course, actual subjects being taught or the actual academic details of the course, since marketing has taken over the academic value. Every country has its unique features and benefits, and we must understand how that fits into our study objectives.
Before deciding on the university, one must begin with - what is the main objective of studying abroad.
Study and work options: Countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, UK offer PSWR (Post Study Work Rights) which means that after your studies of 1-4 years, students can work for 1-3 years and gain experience and recover some money invested. Studies Abroad can cost Rs 15-30 Lakhs for fees per year depending on course, duration, university, country while living costs are roughly Rs 5.5 -12 lakhs per year depending on the country.
Over the last 20 years, the maximum number of students going abroad has come from 3-4 Indian states - Punjab, Andhra Pradesh/ Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Fees and scholarships: Students should look at the tuition fees and apply for scholarships. Some scholarships are country-specific and there are some bursaries for Indian students say USD/GBP/AUD 1000-2000. University Scholarships can range from USD/ AUD/ GBP 2,000- 5,000 up to 10,000 at times. Some Universities/ Colleges have 100% or 50% of ‘Vice-Chancellor or Merit’ Scholarships for Top academic students.
Academic course content: The title of degrees can be confusing at times, so it is important to understand the subjects being taught. So, it is very clear that the course you have chosen is what you wanted to study. If you have already done that subject no point in repeating it, better choose some new subjects/courses from the Elective’s stream. The programs can be categorised as Research-oriented, Taught, Practical oriented at Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) levels.
Rankings and ratings: This can be a very important parameter to decide. Top rankings used worldwide are QS, Times Higher Education (THE), other country-specific rankings can be there like US News, Guardian, REF etc. The difficult part is that too many parameters in all rankings to understand and compare – like Overall University rankings, my subject rankings, or my School/Department rankings.
Country: People choose countries which offer dual country options for long career goals in terms of - study, work, PR, citizenship and combos of USA & Canada, UK & Europe, Australia & New Zealand etc work well.
[The author is regional director India Subcontinent, UTS (University of Technology Sydney) College, Australia]