Overseas Education as a Growing Trend in India

Education plays an important role in the societal setup along with social, cultural, and economic demographics. The sharing of cultures, values, and knowledge mold the behavior of the students as the members of society. Unlike ancient culture, todays’ societies are more selective & efficient in this transmission process. The formal system of education, put in practice through school and university curriculum, helps in identifying what is best for the student. The early identification of a starting point helps in polishing student’s personality and broadening his/her horizons. This makes way for a successful career path.

The higher education is very important for a student as it will significantly decide the career path for him/her. Thus, students and parents are focusing on what is best in terms of course and university for the child. Indian universities, whether central or private, are known for providing decent level of education and skills. The quality of imparting knowledge is also good to a certain extent. However, with the Globalization and multiculturalism on the rise, and the interest shown by foreign universities in Indian market, the idea of studying abroad has gained attention. Foreign universities, since last few decades, have started seeing India as a booming market with students aspiring to study in a foreign country.

Choosing a foreign campus for their higher education has become an increasingly popular trend among Indian students due to the wide range of courses, coupled with great research options and skill-based training, offered by the foreign universities. In addition, factors like availability of full or partial scholarships, multicultural & global exposure, education based on a holistic approach and physical interactions with faculty who carry global perspectives, make foreign universities a sought after choice for many Indian students. Many are of the opinion that an average International University is better than a top Indian College due to which students often prefer to pursue education out of the country. State-of-the-art infrastructure, good exposure and recognition of the overseas degrees that are accepted worldwide, give a flying start to the career of any student.

However, the process of realizing this dream of studying abroad isn’t as easy as it sounds, due to the many options available with respect to courses, universities, countries. Foreign colleges offer multiple course choices at undergraduate level but a student aiming for global education should consider several other factors in addition to subjects while choosing a university. These factors include budget, aptitude, languages known, culture suitability, weather, family, future career plans, etc.

Though United States remains the most favorite choice among Indians for more than a decade, in recent years, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Ireland are also becoming increasing popular. Thus, Overseas Education is and will continue to boom in coming times as well.

S.N.Lakshmi Rao

Head of University and Career Guidance Counseling

Sreenidhi International School

Hyderabad, India