Globally, there are about 5 million students studying in higher education outside their home country. The roughly 48,000 foreign students studying in India represent less than 1 per cent of the global total.

This is a strong contrast to the number of Indian students who are studying abroad, which was close to 300,000 or 6 per cent of the global total in 2017.

Indian universities have much to offer students from around the world. It is time to make sure the world knows.

STUDY IN INDIA INITIATIVE BY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

The Government of India recently launched the Study in India initiative to increase foreign student enrollment to over two lakh by 2023.

INDIAN UNIVERSITIES DELIVERING UNIQUE EDUCATION

Indian universities have a great deal to offer international students. Increasingly, Indian universities are providing a top-notch education closer to home, at a fraction of the price of universities in more popular destinations. And it's not just at top institutions like the IITs, but also emerging private institutions.

• Ahmedabad University creates an interdisciplinary learning environment supported by fieldwork and project-based learning to enable deep creative insight
• Ashoka University is set up on a collective philanthropy model, allowing greater student access and recruitment of international faculty
• Bennett University recently launched their Deep Learning and AI Skilling and Research project
• FLAME University offers a learner-centric experience which gives students considerable leeway in selection of courses and activities

RESOURCES THAT CAN HELP: BIG FUTURE AND SAT

For more than a century, the College Board has been partnering with the most prominent universities around the world to connect students with higher education opportunities. The programs have ranged from common benchmarks like the SAT to powerful university planning resources like Big Future.

The College Board's Big Future website is a comprehensive university planning tool that helps students understand the process of applying to universities overall.

The college search tool on Big Future allows students to search for universities that match their interests and criteria. Universities across the world that use College Board programs are listed on Big Future's college search tool, giving students exposure to university options which they may never have considered.

COLLEGE BOARD'S INDIA GLOBAL HIGHER EDUCATION ALLIANCE

The College Board recently formed the India Global Higher Education Alliance to provide a platform for collaborating with universities from India and abroad to share best practices and streamline admissions for both Indian and international students, including the use of the SAT.

Students who may not have considered India as a destination will have more opportunities to consider Indian universities without having to worry about taking another entrance exam just for India.

Through the SAT, Big Future, and College Board Search, Indian universities can now connect to these students to make the case for India and for their university.