You want to go abroad for higher studies, the ideal time to apply is Feb

If you want to go abroad this year for higher studies, the ideal time to apply is February. This was emphasised at the World Education Fair, organised by Edwise, on Wednesday, which saw more than 1,000 prospective students taking part.With more than 40 universities taking part in the fair, the organisers noted that it was the perfect time for students, who are contemplating studying abroad, to look into the logistics more seriously.We have universities from six countries participating. For students wanting to start their studies in their intended university by September, February is the ideal time to start looking, said Sushil Sukhwani, director, Edwise. He also said that the fair would take place in 11 cities in the country, with four more to go after Bangalore.

The fair was oriented towards students intending to do their master’s course abroad. In India, about 85% of students who go abroad to study want to pursue their master’s. The number of students wanting to do their under-graduation has increased from 15% to 17%, but it is still a small gain,he said.As for the courses that are popular among students, management still tops the list. About 35%-40% of the students go for programmes offering management studies and another 35% go for either engineering or IT-related courses. Only about 20% go to study pure Computer sciences, journalism, literature,Economics and Management and other courses, said Sukhwani.However, it is a number that has been gradually increasing, according to Sukhwani. “We see a slightly more number of students off to pursue courses like music and arts, but you see it more in progressive cities such as Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai, he added.

As for countries that are most popular, Sukhwani said that because of the economic climate, students were gravitating towards countries other than the United States.Canada and Singapore have seen an increase in the influx of students. They are now choosing countries based on the courses offered, whether the country boasts a stable economy, employment opportunities and favourable stay back options, he said.He added that students have problems when it comes to financing studies.As opposed to five years ago, the number of scholarships from the US has gone down, but Australia is actually offering more scholarships. However, students still have a problem with loans. The upper limit for student loans in banks is Rs14 lakh and students often need a little more and the paperwork is also a little bit different, he said.