Number of foreign students at varsity at an all-time high

EVEN AS the number of international students is an important parameter in world rankings,Mumbai University has,for the first time,seen a massive jump from 86 foreign students in 2009-10 and 47 in 2010-11 to over 210 in 2012-13.

EVEN AS the number of international students is an important parameter in world rankings,Mumbai University has,for the first time,seen a massive jump from 86 foreign students in 2009-10 and 47 in 2010-11 to over 210 in 2012-13. The numbers at the university,however,have been erratic. According to figures given by the university,while there were 102 foreign students from 36 countries in 2008-09,the numbers came down to 86 from 31 countries in 2009-10 and dipped to 47 from 16 nations in 2010-11.

The university has not seen a steady rise in the number of foreign students. The numbers keep changing every year. In 2011-2012,for instance,the numbers went up again to 127 students from 39 countries. The trend is,however,changing. The university is now more active and thanks to efforts by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR),the numbers have gone up significantly during the 2012-13 academic year, said a university official.

Academicians said lack of accommodation for foreign students is a major deterrent. The primary reason why we dont have a large number of foreign students coming to Mumbai University is the high cost of living here. We currently have one hostel for foreign students with a capacity of 150. Some students,who are on scholarship,can sustain the high standard of living here. We have to create the necessary infrastructure. We are gradually doing that, said Mrudul Nile,director of the Department of Students Welfare at Mumbai University.

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A university source said there were plans to create a second hostel for foreign students.

University authorities said most of the foreign students are from not-so-developed countries,while there is little representation from richer countries like the US and UK. The maximum number of students in 2008-09 was from Iran (20) followed by Nigeria (13). The number of Iranian students in 2009-10 and 2010-11 was 19 and 12 respectively. In 2010-11,there were 11 students from Nigeria. In 2011-12,a large number of students had come from Nigeria (26),South Korea (13),Nepal and Iran (12 each).

In 2008-09,there were eight students from the US and one from UK. In 2009-10,there were seven students from the US and two from UK; two from the US in 2010-11,and two from UK and six from the US in 2011-2012. A detailed composition of students for 2012-13 is yet to be tabulated. The same trend can be observed in universities across the country, said Nile.

mihika.basu@expressindia.com

From Abroad

2012-2013 Over 210

2011-2012 127

2010-2011 47

2009-2010 86

2008-2009 102

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