Remember those days when your affluent relatives and neighbours quipped, “Mere Bachhe toh Foreign Mein Padhenge”? The craze for seeking admission to overseas colleges and universities seems to have percolated to today’s generation who are now more than eager to study abroad. Piling up student application forms for foreign institutions raises a pertinent question, “What motivates students to study abroad?”.
Worldwide surveys of graduate degree applicants underscore how many of them aim to pursue their higher education in another country. The reasons are myriad including the motivation to study at a university of strong international repute or the urge to experience life in an altogether different setting. Some students advance to those colleges on merit as they benefit from scholarships or have their tuition fees waived off. Besides, a five-year-long exposure to foreign universities paves the way for building an international professional network.
The aftermath of Covid-19 on foreign education
The coronavirus pandemic that raged from 2020 and continues to ravage some parts of the world was a dampener not only for the students who wished to go abroad but also created roadblocks for some of the top study destinations around the world. Some institutions were quick to respond and repurposed their teaching strategies by shifting to online teaching and learning programmes while others had to compromise with the hybrid model. Many students opted for the part online-part offline model that allowed them to study without compromising the quality of education.
Covid-19 has been a trendsetter in the education realm with even foreign colleges collaborating with many institutions to make way for online classes for its students. Despite education being tech-enabled these days, many students are gearing up to go back to their colleges or enrol in institutions in foreign lands. This has however brought back to focus the most relevant question of financing foreign education.
Seeking loans for foreign education
Students inclined to pursue higher education from outside colleges and universities have a host of countries to choose from. The pandemic has not mitigated the consistent popularity of study destinations in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and so on. However, the cost of studying abroad can go up to Rs 20-25 lakhs every year. Add to this, accommodation costs, tiffin expenses and tutorial fees that can make a dent in one’s lifelong …….