New Zealand (NZ) could be the next destination for research-oriented Indian students. The island nation is offerring immense opportunities in research education for students from India, with the New Zealand government wiling to pay 60-70 per cent of fee for students taking up research at the NZ varsities.
The New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the New Zealand High Commission in India have been organising education fares and activities for Indian students for the last few years. The response has been on the rise over 2-3 years. Indian students are opting for a PhD degree in New Zealand because of its low-cost model. The NZ government’s focus on research promotion is also an incentive.
“We are known only for cricket and rugby in India. But New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries and now it offers the best education on a par with international universities,” New Zealand’s Trade Commissioner to India Paul Vaughan told Business Standard.
In the current year, more than 4,300 students have enroled in New Zealand varsities, while the total number of Indian students in New Zealand is more than 6,000.
“We are getting the maximum number of students from North India. Students from Punjab and Delhi are coming to New Zealand in large numbers. The trend is slowly being followed by students from Maharashtra and the Southern states,” Vaughan added.
New Zealand has seven universities. There are around 12 polytechnics, which are equivalent to engineering or management colleges in India. “Since all the colleges and institutions are run by the government or are government-funded, the educational fees are very low. Since, our government is more focused on research these days, it shares the educational expenditure of PhD students coming into the country,” Vaughan added.
Also Read
Generally, foreign students pay 2-3 times the educational fee paid by the locals. However, this additional fee of foreign students is waived if they enroll for a PhD or post-doctoral research course. A student taking up a PhD programme in New Zealand needs to pay between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.50 lakh per year. “Students pay anything between Rs 15 lakh to Rs 40 lakh for entire PhD programme in the UK or the US. Against this, the cost of PhD education in New Zealand is not more than Rs 5 lakh,” Vaughan said.
The population of New Zealand is just over 4 million. Due to the growing economy, a lot of job opportunities are coming up. “Our unemployment ratio is just 3 per cent and non-New Zealand citizens can take jobs even in the army and the police,” Vaughan added. The academic year in New Zealand starts in February and the admission procedure ends by December. IELTS or TOEFL scores are considered for admission.