Study Abroad News & Alerts

It is very important to make sure that you get into the right college or university. But sometimes you are not able to figure out the right path for yourself. This is why it is extremely important to make sure that we follow a defined strategy. Here is how you can get into the right college or university for yourself-

1. Make a list of all the colleges and universities that you are interested in. There are a lot of options out there but shortlist the ones that are the best for you.
2. Now try to visit as many universities and colleges as you can. This gives you a reality check and makes you understand if the college is worth going to or not.
3. Apply to as many universities as you can. It is extremely important to note rely on just a couple of options. You must always have a backup plan so always apply to at least 5 to 6 universities and colleges

Many students from across the world have been waiting for their Australian student visa. Students from countries like Iran, Pakistan and China have said that they have been waiting for the student visa since the last three years. Due to such a long period of waiting, students have now decided to drop the plan of studying in Australia and instead choose other countries.

The Department of home affairs of Australia has been bombarded with visa applications ever since it has resumed study abroad. As a reason there has been major delays in visa processing and students have to wait for a long period of time in order to get their visa process. In these delays, the longest time of wait period is for PhD students. It has been found out that on an average PhD students have to wait for at least 10 months before getting their visa processed for Australia.

In order to get your Visa as fast as possible it is very important to apply for a visa timely. Submitting right documents is the key because if your documents are authentic then there will be no delays. Also if there are any changes make sure that you respond quickly. All of these things will help you to get your visa for pursuing PhD in Australia as fast as you can.

Many Canadian universities offer scholarships to Indian students. There are scholarships specially meant for Indian students and no other students from different nationalities eligible for those scholarships. These special initiatives are undertaken because of the high number of Indian students that migrate to Canada for study purposes annually. Here is a list of scholarships that you will be eligible for as an Indian student studying in Canada-

1. Shastri Research Student Fellowship

The scholarship is awarded to students pursuing their masters of resurgent Canada. In order to be eligible for the scholarship you must have a score of at least 65% in your previous degree. Also the institute at the university that you are studying in must be a part of the Shastri research student fellowship group. Also the institute or the university that you are studying in must be a part of the Shastri Research Student Fellowship group. You will be awarded somewhere between C$800-C$1000.

2. Vanier Graduate Scholarship

The scholarship was started in 2008 and is awarded to graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, and/or engineering and health. The scholarship is awarded for a time period of three years and C$50,000 are awarded annually to the selected candidate.

3. Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan

The scholarship is awarded specially to students from the Commonwealth countries. It focuses on the academic and intellectual development of the student.

The UK is a famous study abroad destination because of its breathtaking infrastructure, larger than life culture and best quality education. It is the number one choice for studying abroad for a lot of students. But when it comes to expenses, the UK is one of the most expensive destinations to study globally. In order to decrease your expenses of studying in the UK, there are a lot of tips that you can take into consideration.

1. Take a hybrid mode of education in which you will have to complete half of your course from your home and the other half from the UK. This helps you in saving up a lot of money in accommodation and other miscellaneous expenses.
2. Take an education loan from an institution which offers a low interest rate. Now you have a lot of options for education loans as the market has expanded a lot. Make sure that you choose your loan providers smartly.
3. Try to apply for as many scholarships as possible.
4. Make sure that you apply for a part-time job and try to cover your extra expenses by yourself. A lot of students end up paying their tuition fees by saving money from their part time jobs only.
5. As a student you will have access to a lot of free stuff. You will also get food at a discounted price. So make sure that you take the advantage of all of these discounts and free stuff.

There used to be a time when China was the number one contributor of international students in the global education market. It was followed by countries like the UK and other prominent European countries. But after the pandemic, this scenario has changed quite a bit as India has surpassed all these countries by becoming the number one contributor of international students in the global market.

There has been a 273% increase in the number of visas granted to Indian students in 2021 as compared to 2019. India has sent around double the number of students to the USA this year. The study abroad culture is becoming very prominent in India. More and more students are becoming interested in studying in international universities. As a result students are now taking an active effort to get accepted into the top universities of the world. Inspired by each other, more and more students are now trying to get into highly ranked universities of the world. As a result a new wave of study abroad has gripped India. This is the reason why India has been able to overtake China.

As a business man or a businesswoman, the most valuable asset will always be your ethics in the business. There is a set of business ethics that are taught to you in your business school which helps you ini showing you the right business path. There are a lot of business schools in the world which still follow the conventional business teachings that are somewhere lost in the contemporary world. Here's a list of the most ethical business schools that you can enroll yourself in-

1. California Baptist University

This university focuses on the individual development of each and every student. They have a curriculum which is based on the true ethics of business. They offer business degrees in bachelor's, master's and PhD level.

2. Temple University

This University was founded in 1884 and has six campuses around the world out of which two are international. This university has 15 business schools and colleges which offer various degrees in business.

3. University of Oregon

This university believes in the learning by doing approach. It focuses on the four principles of excellence which are: Center for Sustainable Business Practices, Cameron Center for Finance and Securities Analysis, Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship and Warsaw Sports Marketing Center.

Every year, thousands of students from India decide to study in Canada. India is one of the biggest contributors of international students in the global education market. As a result many countries offer scholarships meant specially for Indian students. Here is a list of all the government scholarships that Indian students can avail while studying in Canada-

1. Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship
2. Vanier Graduate Scholarship
3. Shastri Research Student Fellowship
4. Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan
5. IDRC research awards
6. Ontario Graduate Scholarship
7. Ontario Trillium Scholarship
8. Quebec Provincial Government Scholarship

Kuwait is a very important country in the Middle East region. Influenced by its neighboring countries like the UAE, Kuwait has made a conscious effort to develop its educational infrastructure. As a result over the years, there has been construction and establishment of a lot of international level universities. Kuwait also offers scholarships to Indian students. The scholarships are-

1. Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship Program, 2023
2. Royal Society International Exchange Programme, 2022
3. Banting International Postdoctoral Fellowships, 2022
4. ETS TOEFL Scholarships
5. GSLS Travel Fellowships 2022

Kuwait has a number of universities that offer high-quality education to international students. Here is a list of universities that you can consider if you are interested in studying in Kuwait.

1. Kuwait University
2. Gulf University for Science and Technology
3. American University of the Middle East
4. Arab Open University – Kuwait
5. American University of Kuwait
6. Australian College of Kuwait
7. Maastricht School of Management Kuwait
8. Algonquin College Kuwait
9. Kuwait College of Science & Technology
10. Kuwait Technical College

While applying for your Tier 4 visa for the UK, you might have come across the term Biometric Residence Permit. A lot of times your university will tell you to keep your BRP safe because it is a form of your identity card. But the question is where do you get your BRP card from? BRP is a form of an identification credential that you have to carry with yourself as an international student. If you have a BRP card then you do not need to carry your passport everywhere. Every international student who plans to study in the UK for more than six months must have this card.

While applying for your Visa, you will usually apply for a BRP card as well. It will also have your biometrics including your fingerprints and signature. All those students who do not have a BRP card must get it through online registration.

People have different opinions about graduate schools. Some think that it is a waste of time while others think it's very important for the growth of a child. Graduate schools help you in developing a network and consist of a lot of collaborative work. This helps you in learning how to work in groups. Other than this, there are a lot of independent projects that you will work on as a graduate student. Here are the reasons why You must enroll yourself in a graduate school-

1. Higher earning

According to a recent survey done in the USA, it was found out that all the students who had a graduate degree earned more than the ones that didn't.

2. Building a Network

Graduate school is an opportunity to meet hundreds of people and learn something from them. The more people you know, the vast knowledge and opportunities will become.

3. Personal development

While working in large groups and studying with so many people, you get to learn a lot of things. It helps you in the development of soft skills which are an important aspect of becoming successful in life.

As an international student, it is very important to know how the transfer of funds work from one country to another. You must have all this knowledge beforehand so that there is no future problem in transferring money. Initially when you decide to get yourself enrolled into an international University, you will have to pay them your tuition fees. This means that you will send your money from one country to another through your bank account.

The most commonly used protocol for this service is the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications) network. It is a form of a messaging protocol which consists of a network of more than 1100 banks across 200 countries. Each bank which is a part of this group protocol has a unique code of its own which is 11 or eat Digital long. The code specifies the exact location, the name of the city of the bank.

Before transferring your money you must choose a trustworthy service provider. Then you will have to get your KYC registered and checked. Once all of this is done you can transfer the money with the help of your bank or money transferring company. They will use the SWIFT method by using the student's name and their bank account. The money will be directly transferred to the university account.

Most of the parents are hesitant when it comes to sending their child abroad. The hesitation is even more if the child is younger in age. International schools are becoming more and more popular. Many parents from across the world send their young children to different countries for the purpose of quality education. Here is how sending your child to a different country at an early age can be beneficial for them-

1. They can become independent at an early age and learn to do their daily chores by themselves.
2. They can also learn money management at an early age and manage their expenses by themselves.
3. Preparation for the selection in top universities starts from the beginning in international schools. Without doing much hard work, your child can easily get selected into one of the top universities of the world.
4. They become global citizens at a very young age and understand the importance of diversity and cultures. They have a broader perspective from childhood which helps them further in their life.

Music therapist is a person who is a professional in both music and health care. A music therapist can use Music to treat people with certain health ailments. In this profession, music is used as a therapy to cure mental as well as physical ailments. In this therapy session, you do not have to speak to the therapist and just enjoy the experience. Music therapists are in great demand, especially in hospitals, nursing homes and counselling centres. Now the question is how can you become a music therapist and what kind of education would you need to become a music therapist?

There are a lot of schools around the world that offer degrees in music therapy. As a music therapist you must be aware of different types of genres of music and know how to play different instruments. Some of the best schools in the USA that offer music therapy degrees include Western Michigan University’s School of Music, Arizona State University’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance and Berklee College of Music. You will also need  a certification from the Certification Board for Music Therapists. 

It is believed that a student must be highly qualified to get a good paying job. It is true that having a lot of degrees can help you in getting a job that pays you really well. But thinking that having multiple degrees is the only way to get a high-paying job is wrong. There are a lot of jobs that you can get with just a bachelor's degree and they pay you well. Here is a list of jobs that you can apply for as a bachelors graduate that will pay you a good amount of money.

1. Pilot

To become a pilot you do not need to pursue a Masters or a PhD degree. On average, you can earn around US$136,000 as a pilot in the USA.

2. IT Manager

To become an IT manager, you do not need a lot of degrees. This profession requires skills, so even if you have just graduated but have a lot of skills, it will be enough for the employer. As an IT manager you can expect to own around US$159,000.

3. Financial manager

This job is considered one of the highest-paying jobs in the United States of America. You can earn an average salary of US$131,000.

4. Marketing manager

This job is ranked as the number one job in the field of marketing. To be a marketing manager, you must have good communication skills. On an average you can earn around US$135,000 as a marketing manager.

Most of the students who had been waiting for the coronavirus pandemic to be over, are now going to foreign universities as the Covid restrictions have been relaxed. After almost 2 years of wait, international students are able to travel to different countries for their education. But it has been found out that students are struggling to find a good accommodation. In some countries, the condition is worse than during the coronavirus pandemic. Even when students are ready to pay double the price for accommodation, they are still not able to find it.

This has caused a worldwide rental crisis. Busy cities of the UK like London and the USA's New York are at the top of the list. According to recent data, around 7000 international students worldwide have been struggling to find accommodation. Due to this crisis, they are even considering going back to their countries. It has been found that such a vast flocking of international students to different countries has led to this problem. All of a sudden there has been a massive increase in the immigration rate among students.

Belgium is a beautiful tourist destination in Europe. But what you don't know about Belgium is that 25% of students studying at higher educational institutions in Belgium are international students. Around 50% of students pursuing PhD in Belgium and also international students. Even though Belgium doesn't come on the list of the most famous countries for studying abroad, it still attracts many international students annually.

Belgium works on the system of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All the European Higher Education Areas operate on the system of ECTS which is a credible and transferable assessment system. There are 11 universities, 30 University colleges and 19 schools of arts in Belgium. Students can choose to study in any of these universities or colleges. The tuition fee that you will have to pay will be between US$1000 to US$ 20000 annually.

Pursuing a PhD is not an easy task. It becomes even more difficult if you're studying in an international university where competition is really high. You will have to show your thesis in front of hundreds of students and highly qualified professors. This means that you need to be on the top of your game in order to complete your PhD degree with good grades. Here are the things that you must know if you want to pursue a PhD degree-

1. Choosing the right research topic for yourself

This can make all the difference in your degree. Make sure that you are choosing the right topic for yourself so that you can write your thesis properly.

2. Applying for the right student Visa

Students who want to pursue research in foreign universities have different visa slots. If you want to pursue a PhD degree in the USA or the UK you can apply for an F-1 or Tier 4 student visa.

3. Research about scholarships 

Make sure that you do your research about scholarships and financial relief that you will be eligible for while pursuing your PhD abroad. Apply for as many scholarships as you can.

4. Take care of your mental health

Pursuing a PhD degree can become overwhelming sometimes. The workload can become extremely high. This is why it is important to make sure that you are at a good place mentally.

Generally it is believed that as an international student you are exempted from paying taxes while studying abroad. This is true for a lot of countries except for the United States of America. As an international student you need to file for taxes irrespective of the fact that you are earning or not. While studying in the USA, you must know the whole procedure of paying taxes as an international student to avoid getting into any legal troubles.

All F1 student visa holders must file for taxes. It doesn't matter if you're earning or not, no one is exempted. But the good part is that if you're not earning anything in the USA then you do not have to pay any taxes. Still everyone has to file for taxes. As an international student you will have to file Form 8843. To fill this form you will need to apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). If you're working as a part-time student in the USA for 20 hours a week then you will have to file some additional forms as well. This includes the W-4 tax form.

January is the time when most of the students start deciding whether they want to study abroad or not. This is the perfect time to select a university for yourself as rankings are revised during this time. Most universities also release their new scholarships or programmes for international students during this time. If you are interested in studying a Masters or a PhD degree abroad, then here is a list of fully funded scholarships that you will be eligible for in international universities.

1. Oxford Pershing Square Scholarship

            Closing: Jan 2023

2. World Bank Scholarships Program

            Closing: Jan 2024

3. Danish Government Scholarship

            Closing: Jan 2023

4. Swedish Institute for Global Professionals

            Closing: Jan 2023

5. Eiffel Scholarship Program Of Excellence

           Closing: Jan 2023

6. President’s Scholarship 2019-20 at The Imperial College London

           Closing: Jan/Mar/May 2023

7. Chalmers IPOET Scholarship

           Closing: Jan 2023

8. Orange Tulip Scholarship

            Closing: Feb 2023

9. Rotary Peace Fellowship

            Closing: Feb 2023

10. Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship

            Closing: Mar 2023