Public Universities Attract Indian Students

If anyone ever thought that tuition fees do not effect enrollment, a new study recently released showed otherwise. www.YourNextLeap.com conducted a survey that showed that Indian students are choosing more affordable schools – many of which are public universities.

Tuition costs are on the rise in the United States, especially as the US government continues to reduce federal funding. As tuition increases, and the Indian Rupee depreciates against the US dollar, more Indian students are balancing cost and their preference for top universities. As students balance these two important decisions, many students are applying to schools that offer a good balance of both.

According to this survey of 1,000 students, the findings indicated that 43% of Indian students preferred public universities in 2011-2012 which increased to 62% for the upcoming semester. This same study found that cost is a major consideration for international students where students applied to universities with the following cost structure:

To compare costs, according to College Board a public four-year college charges on average $12,526 for tuition and fees for out-of-state students annually whereas a private nonprofit four-year college charges $28,500 each year.

This comes as an important indicator for schools looking to attract and grow their international student body. In 2011, India was the second largest sending country of international students after China, sending 103,895 students to the United States (14% of the total international student body).

Posted in International Financial Aid News