University opens admissions office in India

Monday 29 March 2004

The University of St Andrews has opened an admissions office in India in a bid to further diversify the overseas student community.

The office, in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, aims to source the country’s best students, focussing on lesser Indian states including Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

Addressing the intricacies of the Indian market, it will be an entirely different approach to recruitment drives in China, Korea and the US. By establishing a base there, it should provide an efficient and more effective way of monitoring applications.

Few Indian students apply to St Andrews at present. However, in recent years, India has grown to become one of the largest markets to UK institutions. It is hoped that the pilot venture – representing a modest, but strategically significant investment in the University’s recruitment effort – will lead to an intake of 20-30 Indian students within two to three years, and ultimately encourage links with other institutions.

At present, around 20% of St Andrews students are from overseas, with over 1000 overseas undergraduates representing 90 different nationalities.

The office was established partly because of the increasing number of Indian students wishing to study in the UK – indeed, Indian banks offer preferential rates for loans to assist study in this country.

In a recent visit to India, Vice- Principal (External Relations) and Director of Admissions, Stephen Magee, addressed groups of up to 400 potential students at a time in major high schools in New Delhi and Gurgaon.

He said, “The New Delhi office can filter the deluge of multiple applications that can come from Indian students wishing to study in the UK.

“At present, our main mechanisms for attracting the best overseas students to St Andrews include direct approaches to schools and colleges and through the use of intermediaries around the world. This new office is a novel approach which, with the support of the British Council and the knowledge of the British Embassy, will officially represent the University of St Andrews in India and the Gulf States.¿

It will be a ‘walk-in’ service, run by Kurien Joseph, whose communications and management consultancy Komark Education Services is also negotiating with prestigious universities in the United States and Canada.

Kurien said, “India’s massive numbers of bright, young, educated, English-speaking Indians are quite familiar with what it means to study in an institution of such eminence, because India herself has some of the best in the world, at least in the fields of technology and management.

“Indian students see in St Andrews an attractive option – for many reasons. One, there just aren’t enough seats in high-quality colleges in India for any discipline, and certainly not for the liberal arts and sciences. Two, with many of these disciplines – like History, Philosophy or Chemistry – in the Indian scene, young Indians do not see a future for themselves, even if they personally love their subject. Three, the idea of studying – and hence networking – in a multicultural “world campus¿ is very inspiring and exciting. Fourth, the sheer pace of life of Scotland in general, and St Andrews in particular, is just right for India’s Gen-next – and their parents. No wonder, more and more students are beginning to call us or write to us asking about studying at St Andrews¿.

For more information, please visit http://www.st- andrews.ac.uk/services/admissions/i ndia.shtml and http://www.komark.net.

ENDS

Issued by Beattie Media On behalf of the University of St Andrews For more information, please contact Contact Claire Grainger, Press Officer – 01334 462530, 07730 415 015 or cg24@st- andrews.ac.uk; Ref: press releases/india View the latest University news at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk


Category Student experience

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