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‘While there are many reasons why Indian students choose universities abroad, the advantage one gets in poststudy work visas and employment opportunities are the main incentives.‘

THE CURIOUS CASE OF INDIAN STUDENTS WHO PLANNED TO STUDY ABROAD

The year 2020 has been a year of uncertainties. While the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has hit economies and institutions everywhere around the world, the plans of Indian students looking to study abroad this academic year have also been thrown out of gear. Indians are the second-largest nationality on university campuses globally, with over 750,000 of them studying in colleges across continents. If not for Covid-19, thousands would have gone abroad for admission this year, too. According to the
recent Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) report, Indian Students Mobility Report 2020, the pandemic has affected the decisions of 48.46 per cent of Indian students aspiring to study abroad in 2020. Even as the new academic year, to begin in September, is fast-approaching, the students have been left in the lurch. Their
concerns are wide-ranging — from high fees without a rounded campus experience, to a decline in or loss of income for parents who would funded their education, health and well-being, and a growing protectionism in the US and other countries jeopardising post-education employment prospects.
For their part, universities are also deciding while keeping in mind the immediate ambiguities around international travel, status of student visas, lockdowns in different cities, and education delivery models. But, as with most sectors right now, there seems to be no clear path ahead.

To go or not to go — funds will be a decider
A volatility in the job market and uncertainty with work visas has exacerbated the worries of Indian students who accepted for admission to universities abroad. Many are recalibrating their thoughts on whether it makes sense to take heavy student loans or to dip into personal savings.

What should students do in this situation? Vibha Kagzi, founder and chief executive of ReachIvy.com, a study-abroad counselling company, says students should enrol. “Given that global economies have slowed down and unemployment is rampant, there will be minimal job creation and no pay hikes or promotions this year. Therefore, it is an ideal time to go back to school and earn a degree. By the time a student graduates, the job market will resume normalcy and take in fresh candidates.”

ABOUT THE COMPANY

ReachIvy is a premium education and career advisory that helps aspiring students get accepted into top tier educational institutions globally. We have successful admits at MIT, Columbia, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, London School of Economics, University of Michigan, Oxford, University of Chicago amongst others.

Vibha Kagzi, Founder and CEO, ReachIvy, holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University. She has also pursued courses at the University of California, Berkeley, the London School of Economics and the Indian School of Business.

Our global team of counsellors have also acquired their degrees from premier institutes and are passionate about sharing their experiences with students worldwide.