Delhi University has seen a steady rise in the number of foreign students, especially women.
According to data available with DU’s Foreign Student Registration Office (FSRO), 1,007 foreign students had enrolled in various courses in the 2012-13 session, the number went up to 1,184 in 2014-15. In 2011-12, 952 foreign students had enrolled in DU. The number of women students increased to 546 in the current academic session from 492. The number of women students in 2011-12 was 434.
The FSRO is the single-window for foreign nationals who wish to take admission in DU.
“DU gets more students from South Asian and South-East Asian nations, while there are a few coming in from the Middle Eastern, European and African countries too,” said FSRO head Amrit Kaur Basra.
University officials claim that despite perceptions about Delhi being unsafe for women , many consider it a safe destination for pursuing higher education.
“During the interaction exercises conducted by our office, we discovered that the perception of Delhi being the ‘rape capital’ had not created apprehensions among them. They are concerned definitely, but not apprehensive,” she said.
In the current session, there are 311 students from Nepal; 55 from Afghanistan; 36 from Maldives; 23 each from Sri Lanka and Vietnam; 22 from Bhutan; 11 each from Iran and Nigeria; 10 each from Bangladesh, Congo and Zimbabwe; seven each from Indonesia and Iraq; and two from Somalia.
“While quality of education and low cost of living are the primary reasons behind the increase in the number of foreign students, we also have taken a series of measures to ensure they have a pleasant stay on campus,” Ms. Basra added.
DU has five per cent seats reserved for foreign students in all its undergraduate, post-graduate and research programmes under the “supernumerary quota”.
As per University rules, the seats under the quota are not transferable to other categories in case of fewer applications from foreign students.
The University has an international hostel for foreign students and a separate bus service for them too. — PTI
