Chennai: Despite the falling rupee, which makes courses in the USA more expensive, Indian students, especially from Tamil Nadu, continue to see it as their dream destination for higher education.
Going by the US Consulate in Chennai 27 per cent more students have applied to travel to the USA to enroll in various programmes this year, when compared to 2012.
“The consulate in Chennai issued 8,106 student visas in 2012 and we are already seeing a 27 per cent increase in the number of student visa applicants since then,” said a consulate spokesperson.
The fact that currently the tuition fee varies from US$ 15,000 (approximately `9.30 lakhs) to $60,000 (`37.20 lakhs) a year based on the degree and location of the college in the US, clearly doesn’t seem to be discouraging many.
One student, N. Aakaash, who hopes to go to the US for his masters, explains the rise in the value of the dollar does not outweigh the quality of education he can look forward to.
Former deputy director and professor emeritus of IIT-Madras, Prof. V.G. Idichandy feels education loans are also an incentive for students today.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/kancha-ilaiah-026
