Indians keen on higher studies in New Zealand

Educational institutions in New Zealand are witnessing increasing interest among the students from the southern part of India for degrees or diplomas in IT, biotechnology and creative studies.

This is drawing academic administrators from that country to India, for the fourth consecutive year, to showcase their strengths in providing good quality higher education.

New Zealand with a population of a little less than four million boasts of almost 85,000 foreign students undergoing education at various levels. Close of 80 per cent of the foreign students come from the Asia-Pacific region.

Caroline McDonald, the New Zealand high commissioner in India, accompanied by a strong contingency of representatives from seven universities and 21 institutes of technology visited Chennai recently.

An estimated 600 students visited the fair and 60 per cent reportedly showed active interest in pursuing the idea of studying in New Zealand.

McDonald said, "The earlier fairs have been successful and resulted in tremendous increase in the number of students opting for a New Zealand education in the last four year.  From a meagre 150 students in 1999, the number today has increased to over 3000."

There are eight universities and some 40 technical institutions that provide graduation, post gradation and even doctoral degrees in engineering, IT & computing, food and dairy technology, horticulture, hospitality and sports management.

All the 40 technical institutions are not affiliated to any university.  McDonald pointed out that the system of providing licence to these technical institutions ensured the quality of education was not compromised.

In terms of cost, the universities in New Zealand offers education at relatively competitive costs.

A study by IDP in 2001 shows that the average cost of a bachelor's degree in business administration costs around $ 5500 which is half of what it would cost in a public university in the US or a fourth of what it would cost in a private college there.

Living costs for students also compares favourably with those in the United States or the United Kingdom.

The study says the cost of living could be $ 5523 per annum in New Zealand,  while it would cost around $ 8529 in the US.

The New Zealand government does not provide any form of financial support to foreign students.

Pointing to the encouraging numbers of students who head for New Zealand for higher education, McDonald said that the scope for attracting more students was very high.