Rise of rupee, a silver lining for students

The hopes of Indian students who want to study abroad seem to be in sync with the gradual rise of the rupee.  An evidence of this was seen in the attendance of scores of students at an educational and interactive seminar organised by The Chopras, an overseas education consultants, here on Sunday.

Sri Datta, an employee with an engineering firm in the City for the last three years, intends to do an MBA in Singapore.

“With the current value of the rupee, my tuition fee alone would come up to Rs 30 lakh. Added to this, my living expenses would account for another $1000. I will be applying next year, and hopefully, the economy will be in a better state then,” said Datta.

Parents are also being wary about sending their children abroad for studies. Take Nagashree Mohan for instance. Her daughter Reshma is all set to go to Australia for a bachelor’s degree in Literature. While Reshma maintains that the fall of the rupee will not deter her plans, her mother is cautious.

“Paying hefty sums is definitely a cause for concern. The fact my daughter will be applying only by next year is a relief, as I am certain that the situation will be better then,” said Nagashree.

Jayashree Raghuram, representative of Leeds Metropolitan University said: “We did not see a drop in the number of applicants to the University. In any case, it has just been three months since the fall of the rupee. There is enough time for it to recover,” she said.

 Babitha Vadamodula, representative of James Cook University, Singapore claimed the university has received applications from seven students each in Chennai and Hyderabad during the seminar.

“We surely felt a pinch when it all started. However we also realise that students don’t wait once they make a decision. A delay of one year in their academic career may not favour their resumes too well,” she said.