Foreign Students Exempted from JEE Mains for IIT Admissions
IIT Council to scrap JEE Mains examination for foreign and OCI students by giving them direct access to JEE Advanced. There are also plans to introduce scholarships for foreign students.
The IIT Council which is the joint board of all IITs, have decided to allow foreign students directly to JEE Advanced bypassing the JEE Mains examinations. The decision came on Friday, 27th August on a meeting of IIT Council. This will expectedly prove to be helpful for bringing more foreign enrolments in 23 IITs throughout India.
The rule will also apply on the candidates who are the Overseas Citizens of India and has a valid OCI Card issued by the Government of India.
The prime agenda of the meeting held on Friday was increasing the enrolment of the foreign students. The council also agreed on the proposal to award scholarships to foreign students. A senior official of IIT Council said that a scheme will be chalked out soon to provide meritorious foreign students with scholarships from IIT. The council is also thinking to roll-out online courses not only inside India but also abroad to expand the reach of IITs
This came after many reforms came to IITs and its academics in the current season including the decision to award noon-performing students with a B.Sc Degree of three years and release them from the 4-year B.Tech course to counter the problem of student dropouts.
Also Read:IITs will award non-performing B.Tech students with a 3-Year B.Sc Degree
The council on Friday also decided to increase the fees of M.Tech in IITs. This decision from the same Council Meeting is receiving criticism from students. The hike in M.Tech fees is projected to be more than 9x of the previous fees, and the stipend given to M.Tech students will also be scrapped now.
Also Read:IITs to bring more ASEAN students on board
The demand for autonomy of IITs is gaining momentum. Many experts think that the steps are taken to lower the financial burden of IITs and grant them the authority of managing their own funds. However, it did not go well with the students.