US, UK no longer top educational destinations

With the shrinking portions of American pie, students aspiring to pursue higher education in the promised land are reworking their options.� Severe cuts in the budget earmarked for government research agencies such as National Institute of Health (NIH) as well as government funded projects in the universities has resulted in more students from the city looking at economic options such as Canada and Singapore.

Since the available funding is going to reduce, the chances of getting a fellowship and tuition waiver to study in the US seems bleak. “If I can’t get admission into a partially-funded or fully-funded programme, my best bet will be to apply to Europe, especially Germany or Sweden. Australia is definitely not on the list, given its reputation for hate-crimes,” says Pratyusha Chelikani, a professional who will be applying for M.S programme abroad.

Countries such as Germany, Canada and Singapore are now on top of the list for students interested in studying abroad. The fact that many of the European countries such as Norway, Germany and Finland offer tuition-free education to native and international students, make them a destination of choice. “When faced with the proposition of having to pay for the course, most of the students go in for the smaller countries as it is cheaper than shelling out large sums for the same course in the US or UK,” says an overseas consultant at Begumpet.

“Though Australia was my first option, I chose Singapore for pursuing my MBA as it was an overseas campus of an Australian university. While the degree awarded was the same, I could cut down on my expenditure on education by half” says S. Adithya, who is currently employed in the city.

Wooing Asian students to boost earnings from the international education sector is a trend countries have caught on. While US and UK evolve strict measures to restrict the number of students getting in every year learning from experiences such as the Tri-Valley incident, countries such as Ireland and Canada are bringing the complete range of academic fare on a platter to India by operating through select agents to boost the numbers.

Source: IBN Live

US eases Iranian student visa rules

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday the United States is easing visa terms for Iranian students here as part of efforts to support their aspirations for political change back home.

In what she called a "big step forward" in the Obama administration support's for Iran's people, Clinton said Iranian students and exchange visitors are now eligible for two-year, multiple entry visas.

"This gives young Iranians the opportunity to return home for family events, to participate in internships, to travel outside the United States -- and they won't need to get a new visa every time," she said in a statement.

The chief US diplomat said many Iranian students and Iranian Americans had asked for a change to the old policy where students and exchange visitors were eligible only for three-month, single-entry visas.

"We want more dialogue and more exchange with those of you who are shaping Iran's future. We want to be able to share what we think is great about America," Clinton said.

"Because as long as the Iranian government continues to stifle your potential, we will stand with you. We will support your aspirations, and your rights," Clinton said.

"And we will continue to look for new ways to fuel more opportunities for real change in Iran," she said.

The United States has amplified support for political change in Iran since Iranians protested the re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009 polls marred by massive allegations of fraud.

It has accused the Iranian leadership of hypocrisy for supporting pro-democracy protests now sweeping Arab countries while violently crushing political dissent at home.

Source: AFP