Friday, Mar 29, 2024 | Last Update : 04:25 PM IST

  India   IIT tests in Saarc, UAE, but not Pakistan

IIT tests in Saarc, UAE, but not Pakistan

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Jun 30, 2016, 2:35 am IST
Updated : Jun 30, 2016, 2:35 am IST

The prestigious IITs, which will for the first time hold entrance tests abroad including in Saarc nations, will exclude Pakistan for the forthcoming year.

The prestigious IITs, which will for the first time hold entrance tests abroad including in Saarc nations, will exclude Pakistan for the forthcoming year.

While preparations are underway for conducting entrance tests in Singapore, the UAE and Saarc countries for undergraduate and post-graduate courses, Pakistan will not figure in the list. This newspaper had in February this year first reported that the prestigious IITs are likely to hold their entrance tests in several foreign nations from 2017 to select foreign students for undergraduate and post-graduate courses.

“Considering various factors, especially difficulties involved with regard to students procuring visas, it has been decided that entrance tests for IITs may not be conducted in Pakistan for the upcoming year,” sources said.

Officials said seats for foreign nationals would be additional in nature and would not reduce those available to Indians at these institutes. The decision was taken after consultations between officials of the Union human resources development and external affairs ministries, sources added.

“The entrance tests to the IITs abroad have been held till now only to admit Indian nationals. This is for the first time that it has been planned to admit foreign students through tests held abroad. It is aimed that the plan would be operationalised from the JEE/ GATE exams to be conducted in 2017,” sources said.

Students will be selected through a common entrance exam which would be administered by the IIT with the help of Indian missions in these countries. The fee applicable in the case of foreign students will also be more as the subsidised fee, which Indians pay, would not be applicable to them.

Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved revised cost estimates for eight new IITs.

Location: India, Delhi, New Delhi