India’s diversity and history offer a wide array of options for any student. India’s educational system is as vast and diverse as the country itself. It is an affordable and rewarding experience. A millennia-old civilization, the birthplace of four world religions, a dazzling diversity of cultures, languages, and traditions, and breath-taking natural beauty – from the soaring Himalayas to the deserts of Rajasthan.
Study in India
WHY INDIA?
With access both to such rich history and diversity as well as a rapidly growing country on the cutting edge of the technological revolution, studying in India has much to offer, whether your interests are in Classics or Computers, Philosophy or Politics.
India’s educational system is as encompassing and as diverse as its history, making studying in India unlike anywhere else. India is the home of the world’s largest university by enrolment, Indira Gandhi National Open University, with 3.5 million students. India’s higher education system has 575 university-level institutions. Additionally, over 30,000 colleges operate throughout India, offering more specialized instruction, often in technical fields like engineering.
India is tagged as the mother of so many inventions like algebra, number zero, chess, the value of pi, and diamond mining.
DEADLINES AND INTAKES
- Students in India are used to an academic cycle that begins in June / July each year and ends in May / June the next year.
APPLICATION DOCUMENTS
- Check if you need to apply directly to your chosen university.
- Mark sheets and passing certificates of previous studies.
- Work experience letters (if applicable)
- Reference letters
- ID pages of the passport.
- Additional documents (Statement of purpose and CV) can be asked by the counsellor if required depending on the course you have selected.
Thus Indian universities have one intake per year. This means that Indian universities admit students to their programs once a year.
Education and living costs in India are affordable compared to another popular study abroad destinations in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. This is mainly because the Indian government funds most of the country’s education system. Studying in India will cost approximately INR 350,000 ($5,000) per academic year.
Tuition rarely exceeds $1300 per year at private universities or $1000 at public universities, making studying in India an affordable option for most international students.
Food in India is an experience! Whether in North or South India, restaurants offer tantalizing dishes at cheap prices.
Although costs of lodging will depend on your program, comfortable apartments can be rented for $110 per month outside major cities to $200 per month in most major city centres.
Cities like Mumbai and Delhi will often be more expensive although even their costs to rent will often be lower than in European or American cities.
Top Universities: Indian Institute of Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, IISC, Banaras Hindu University, University of Delhi, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Vellore Institute of Technology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, etc.
In India, you have to choose a ‘stream’ or an area of studies such as arts, sciences, engineering, commerce, medicine, and law at the end of your second year of junior college or after grade 12.
Some specializations, such as engineering and medicine, require an entrance exam along with the grade 12 national board exam. Usually, subjects within ‘streams’ are predetermined with limited flexibility.
Here are some prerequisites for popular streams:
- Medical entrance exams such as NEET
- Physics, chemistry, and biology/biotechnology
- Engineering entrance exams such as JEE
- Physics and mathematics are compulsory, along with one of the remaining sciences
Science
Physics, chemistry, and biology
Business
Commerce or science subjects with limited focus on humanities subjects
Humanities
Commerce or science subjects
Liberal Arts
Opt for core subjects
Several universities, including Ashoka University, O. P. Jindal Global University, Flame University, and Symbiosis International University, are incorporating an international approach in their application process and learning experience. Keep in mind that your grade or marks in the grade 12 board exams are a criterion for acceptance into college, so choose your subjects carefully.