IIT-B student exchange programme gets popular

Over the past two years, the number of students applying for exchange programmes have gone up by more than 50 percent, according to a survey released by the student magazine Insight.

STUDENT EXCHANGE programmes providing students with an opportunity to take up a course or a project in a foreign university, have become more popular among students of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Over the past two years, the number of students applying for exchange programmes have gone up by more than 50 percent, according to a survey released by the student magazine Insight.

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In the academic year 2016-17, 43 students have opted for exchange programmes compared to around 25 in 2014. The number of students enrolling for the programmes has grown continuously since 2004 except for a slump in 2007. Between 2012 and 2013, the number remained almost the same.

Singapore seemed to be the favourite destination and two institutes — National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University (NTU)— seemed to be the most sought after. Both institutes together accounted for a third of outbound exchanges. The report attributed the trend to the TF Learn funding available for exchange with Singapore. Students from the electrical and mechanical streams were the frontrunners in exchange programmes.

“The number of exchange students from EE and Mech are almost equal to all other departments combined” read the report. A total of 52 undergraduate, postgraduate and dual degree students from the electrical engineering department have gone for exchange programmes since 2004. For mechanical engineering students the number is 44.”

“The increasing trend can be attributed to better awareness about such programmes in the institute and more number of MoUs being signed by the institute,” said Shubham Goyal, Institute Secretary of International Relations and a mechanical engineering student.

According to Goyal, students are attracted to such programmes primarily because of an opportunity to visit a foreign land and gain exposure to the culture of another institute.“It helps them improve their skill,” said Goyal. Students can choose to go abroad to complete a semester of coursework or to take up a project.

Undergraduate students, however, do not have the option to do projects abroad. The coursework module usually lasts a semester roughly equivalent to four months. Project work could, however, extend to six months.