Students think beyond UK, US for higher education

Looking beyond the US and UK as preferred destinations for higher studies, the city's youth is now exploring options such as Germany, Singapore and Canada for education. While several students still expressed their preference for UK and US at the Global Education Interact, a day-long education fair held in Hyderabad on Saturday, they were also willing to consider other countries as more feasible options. "The restrictive visa policies and work permits in the US and UK has opened up more choices for students who are keen on studying abroad. In the past five years, applications from Indian students have doubled. This year alone, there have been over 1,000 applicants from India for post graduate studies," said Suman Subbian, representative of the James Cook University in Singapore. The education fair, which provided information about various graduate and post graduate courses, saw delegates from 22 universities across US, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany and around 500 students in attendance. However, the choice of courses for most students remained the typical MBA and engineering programmes. "Students continue to be inclined towards business management and engineering. Apart from the general leaning towards these courses, chances of scholarship are also fairly high," said Sanjeev Raju, one of the organizers of the fair. Though eager for international exposure, students were also aware of the possible risks involved in studying abroad. "There is a global slump in the markets and the job scenario is not that great. So if I am going to invest in a course for a year or two, the returns should be proportionate. Which is why it is very important to go for the right course at the right university," said 21-year-old Neha Sharma, student of St Francis Women's College. TNN May 19, 2013 http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-19/hyderabad/39369328_1_education-fair-uk-indian-students