The number of foreign students applying for higher education at MG University, including its affiliated colleges, has increased drastically this year. A total of 885 students from 58 countries applied for PhD(187), postgraduate(406), and undergraduate programmes(292) at MG University with scholarships from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), up from 571 applicants last year. The highest number of applications came from Kenya, with 79 students applying, followed closely by Sudan with 77 applications.

 

Other significant numbers of applicants came from various countries: Botswana (67), Bangladesh (59), Iraq (58), Tanzania (57), Nigeria (52), Malawi (48), Yemen and Sri Lanka (39 each), Mali (33), Lesotho (26), Nepal and Angola (22 each), Ethiopia (19), Rwanda (14), Uganda (15), South Sudan and Gambia (10 each), Mozambique, Liberia, and Indonesia (9 each), Palestine (8), Comoros and Eswatini (7 each), Syria, Ghana, and Myanmar (6 each), Somalia, Chad, Vietnam, and Zambia (5 each), Burundi, Sierra Leone, and Madagascar (4 each), Eritrea, Togo, and Oman (3 each), Cambodia, Cameroon, Bhutan, Zimbabwe, Turkmenistan, and Mongolia (2 each), Senegal, China, Niger, United Kingdom, Serbia, Portugal, Namibia, Maldives, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and Thailand (1 each).

 

Applications are initially submitted through the ICCR Portal, where students can select from 131 universities empanelled by ICCR. Once received, ICCR forwards the applications to the respective universities.

 

All departments at MG University campus and affiliated colleges rated A++ by NAAC have reserved an additional 25% of seats for foreign students in each programme. Other affiliated colleges have reserved 20% additional seats for foreign students in each programme.

 

A committee chaired by the Vice-Chancellor evaluates the applications and decides on admissions. Provisional admission offers are uploaded by all universities to the ICCR portal before June 30th. Scholarships have country-wise limits; if exceeded, the Indian embassy in each country holds an English proficiency test, and top-ranking candidates are selected.

 

Dr. C.T. Aravindakumar, Vice-Chancellor of MGU, attributed the University’s consistent excellence in national and international rankings and its A++ grade in NAAC’s fourth cycle of reaccreditation as the main reasons prompting more international students to choose MGU for higher studies.

 

“The state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities, academic excellence, and research opportunities, along with positive feedback from current international students, have contributed to the increase in applications,” said Ali Ruwa, a research student from Kenya at the School of Gandhian Thought and Developmental Studies. “Kenya’s close historical ties with India and respect for Mahatma Gandhi also positively influence the University’s appeal.”

 

Coordination of admissions and support for foreign students at MG University is managed by the University Centre for International Cooperation (UCIC). Dr. Sajimon Abraham, Centre Director, reported that 132 students are currently pursuing higher studies at the University campus and affiliated colleges under the ICCR scholarship.