MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL ‘NISHANK’)
(a): The year-wise details of number of foreign students enrolled to study in different
Indian Universities, as per All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) (based on
actual responses), are tabulated as under:
<pre>
Year Total Number of Foreign Students
2015-16 45424
2016-17 47575
2017-18 46144
2018-19 47427
</pre>
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(b): Information is being collected.
(c): The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has published an occasional
paper 2017/1 “Internationalisation of Higher Education in India – Annual Survey of
International Students in India 2014-15” in which the details of foreign students
studying in India University-wise, in respect of the member institutions of the
Association of Indian Universities, is available. This paper can be accessed at
https://aiu.ac.in/documents/international/AIU_International_Students_2017.pdf.
(d): Does not arise.
(e): Government of India has launched a flagship scheme viz. Study in India, in the
year 2018, with the objective of increasing the flow of inbound foreign students to
India and making India a preferred destination/hub for Higher Education by way of
brand building, social media campaigns etc. Under this programme, following
components are introduced to encourage the institutes/universities for enrolling more
foreign students in their courses:
<pre>
i. Identification of target 30+ countries for branding in initial phase
ii. Selection of partner institutions on the basis of grading given by National
Assessment and Accreditation Council(NAAC)(3.26+) and ranking under
National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)
iii. Creation of a dedicated web portal www.studyindia.gov.in
iv. Setting up of call centre support
v. Preparatory work for launch of a Mobile App
vi. Systematic branding
vii. Undertaking of social media and offline advertisements campaigns
viii. Fee waivers ranging from 100% to 25%
ix. Adequate scholarships to meritorious students through Champion Services
Sector Scheme
x. Conduct of event management in the target countries
xi. Conduct of Webinars
xii. Setting up of Hostels of International Standards
</pre>
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Apart from this, there are 10% supernumerary seats created in Indian Institutes of
Technology (IITs) and 15% for National Institutes of Technology (NITs) for foreign
students. The NITs admit students through the Direct Admission of Students Abroad
(DASA) scheme. The University Grants Commission (UGC) encourages the
institutes/Universities for enrolling more foreign students in their courses for
upgrading the standard of these institutes/universities. The Central Government and
the UGC are taking various measures to improve quality of higher education by way
of taking several initiatives so as to automatically attract foreign students to study in
India. The UGC undertakes maintenance of standards in teaching, research and
quality assurance in Universities, Deemed to be Universities and Colleges through
framing and notifying regulations, schemes and disbursing grants to the eligible
institutions. The UGC has notified several regulations with a view to sustain and
improve the quality of higher education and to undertake academic reforms.
Moreover, one of the recent and prominent initiatives of Government of India is
declaration of Educational Institutions as Institutions of Eminence (IoE) to provide
world class education to the Indian Students within the country. Twenty Institutions
have been recommended for status of ‘Institutions of Eminence (IOE). IOE scheme
has been launched in order to implement the commitment of the Government to
empower the Higher Educational Institutions and to help them become world class
teaching and research institutions. It is expected that the above selected Institutions
will come up in top 500 of the world ranking in 10 years and in top 100 of the world
ranking eventually. To achieve the top world ranking, these Institutions shall be
provided with greater autonomy viz. to admit foreign students up to 30% of admitted
students; to recruit foreign faculty upto 25% of faculty strength; to offer online courses
upto 20% of its programmes; to enter into academic collaboration with top 500 in the
world ranking Institutions without permission of University Grants Commission; free to
fix and charge fees from foreign students without restriction; flexibility of course
structure in terms of number of credit hours and years to take a degree; complete
flexibility in fixing of curriculum and syllabus, etc. In case of the private institutions
proposed as IOE, there will be no financial support, but they will be entitled for more
autonomy as a special category Deemed University.
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