Record number of foreign students seek admission in University of Hyderabad

Gachibowli: In this academic year, the University of Hyderabad (UoH) has set a record for itself as it received as many as 1,512 applications from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), about 5-6 fold increase compared to the last few years and 45 applications from self-supporting foreign nationals.

Vice-Chancellor Prof B Jagadeeshwar Rao, expressed happiness at the large number of applications received this year, which suggests that UoH is the preferred destination for higher studies for several foreign nationals. It sees this as a positive indicator in line with the institute of eminence status of the university and NEP 2020.

Prof N Siva Kumar, Director of International Affairs, said that the academic units of the university, after careful consideration, selected 129 foreign nationals this year for various courses from the ICCR applications received. To date, 31 students (nine for PhD and 22 for master's programmes – 13 girls and 18 boys) have already accepted to join. Some more are expected to accept. Students are from Syria, Yemen, Uganda, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sudan, Jordan, South Africa, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Nepal, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Malawi, Indonesia, Swaziland, Iraq, Botswana, Eritrea.

The admission process is still on for self-supporting students. The applications in this academic year which is likely to increase the number of foreign nationals further. Prof Kumar appreciated the cooperation extended by the academic units and UoH administration, which supports this positive development of increase in foreign nationals selected for admission on campus. This is also a way forward for the IoE programme of the UoH, which aims to increase internationalisation.

The UoH received a European Commission grant entitled "HARMONY" for three years on the topic "Strategies for internationalisation of Higher Education in Asian countries", a project coordinated by Prof Kumar, with Professor Vinod Pavarala, R Sivaprasad, J Prabhakar Rao, Aparna Rayaprol and Dr S Shaji, as team members. It has a designated new hostel for foreign nationals with 50 single occupancy rooms. Two international hostel buildings are under construction.