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As many Indian students aspire to study abroad, it is important to remember that education abroad is a big commitment. While finances undoubtedly remain among the major causes for concern for a lot of students, following the pandemic, the drastic changes in the immigration rules has also become an important criteria for consideration while choosing a viable university. Here are the top 5 things to consider when picking the university.
This is probably the most important thing to look into, as while most universities will have tuition fees and financial aid if any mentioned on their website, the sticker price on most universities is not usually what a student will end up paying, especially in case of private colleges. So, it is important to check those details to shortlist universities.
Additionally, students must find out about financial aid and scholarship opportunities at the colleges or universities they are interested in. Sometimes, there are also many local scholarships and renewable scholarships available for students from abroad.
2. What are the internship opportunities like?
While shortlisting the university, the students must check out the internships, hands-on experiences, research, and study abroad opportunities the school provides. This is because having experience in the field you are interested will be valuable for future careers as it will offer the students opportunities to expand their network and also a peak into the what working looks like in the field of their choice.
3. Identify the immigration rules
This is crucial in the post-pandemic world as immigration rules have seen several changes. Interestingly, Canada has emerged as the preferred country for higher studies owing to the country’s open immigration policies. Alos, worth noting here that countries like United Kingdom are relaxing their work permit rules for students from good universities. The visas, meant to encourage graduates to start their careers in the UK, are among the latest measures designed to show the benefits of Brexit as Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeks to move on from the so-called Partygate scandal that has disrupted his premiership in recent months, the Bloomberg reported.
4. What are the educational prospects like?
Students must consider the role of educational prospects while selecting the university they wish to invest their time and money in. The academic programme, especially one which has a flexible curriculum, and the reputation of a university will make a huge difference in the long run. This would include proper research about the university’s ranking, scholarship opportunities and diversity of programs in specific countries especially the ones associated with new skills which are in high demand like AI/ML, Data science.
Additionally, the majors and minors that are part of the university curriculum as each school has a different curriculum design, so consider what you want to get out of the next few years.
5. Career opportunities for life after university
While selecting college abroad, this should ideally be given ample consideration by students as work or job offers plays a huge role in starting life after college. Notably, the United States remains one of the favorite educational destinations for Indian students as the work opportunities. The US also had a particularly strong rebound with the new political administration taking a welcoming stance towards the international students. Interestingly, Indians are the second-largest nationality of foreign students in the US, many of whom prefer to stay due to hospitable work permit allowed in the country.
