IIT to Hold Entrance Exam Abroad

The prestigious IITs for the first time are planning hold their entrance tests in foreign countries, in search of more international talent.

These countries are:

• Singapore
• UAE
• Ethiopia
• SAARC nations

Human Resource Development (HRD) and External Affairs Ministries (MEA) decided a meeting that eight countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka (all SAARC member nations), Singapore, Ethiopia and Dubai (UAE) have been selected to hold entrance tests from next year onwards.

The students will be selected through a common entrance exam which would be administered by the IITs with the help of Indian missions in these countries.

However, seats to be offered to foreign nationals would be supernumerary or additional in nature and would not reduce the available no. of seats for Indian nationals in the 18 IIT’s. The fee applicable in the case of foreign students will also be more as the subsidized fee which Indians pay would not be applicable to them. Officials said, to facilitate these foreign students, Ministry of External Affairs will consider giving them research visa for the duration of the program rather than one year at a time.

While the test will take place in 2017, the outreach program for the exercise would begin from August this year and will be conducted in all these eight countries.

Source: Mithlesh, City Journalist - Kota, CollegeDekho