Affordable fees and the quality of education at Delhi University are the key reasons why a large number of foreign students applied to various courses at the varsity this year.
According to the Foreign Students Registry Office (FSRO), for the first time more than 3,000 students from 106 countries have applied to study various courses this academic session, the majority of them from African countries and Islamic nations.
FSRO is the single window for all foreign nationals seeking admission to DU for different courses.
University officials said students from other countries consider Delhi a safe destination for pursuing higher quality education with a low cost-of-living standard. The students find studying at DU much cheaper than any other university. “The academic standards of the university and affordable fees are surely the primary reasons behind such an increase in the number of foreign students. But, apart from that, they find DU offering safe and pleasant campus accommodation,” a DU official said. “My friend, who is already studying here, told me the tuition fee here is very affordable, so I applied. After coming here I myself feel DU is a safe option to stay and study for students like us,” said Erica John from Liberia.
Moreover, the university has witnessed an increase in the number of candidates, especially from China, who want to pursue certificate courses in Hindi, while students from predominantly Muslim Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran have shown interest in Sanskrit.
“In the past, too, we have noticed that foreign students have shown interest in the language courses. So the presence of different language courses in DU is also one of the draws for students applying here,” he added.
However, the university has received around 750 applications from Tibet, 600 from Nepal and 550 from Afghanistan. Also, candidates from Yemen and Palestine have applied in DU for the first time, followed by three students from Pakistan.
All DU colleges have reserved a five per cent quota for foreign nationals in all their undergraduate, post-graduate and research programmes under the supernumerary quota.
