Foreigners not impressed by IIT

Despite opening the gates for foreign students and foreign nationals, very few such students actually join the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology. Vanita Srivastava reports.

Despite opening the gates for foreign students and foreign nationals, very few such students actually join the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology.

"The numbers are always in single digit, on an average 4-5. Many, even after selection, don't join," sources said. This year only 3 foreign nationals have been selected including one South African who has got admission in IIT Madras.

Last year 10 were selected but they were all Indians who were born outside. Many however did not join.

In the mid 1990s, there used to be direct admissions for foreign students. In the initial years, a good number of such students were selected . But most were not able to cope up with academic pressure.