Kolkata: USCS organises Education Trade Mission

The delegation of twenty U.S. institutions of higher education visited Kolkata on Friday. U.S. Consul General Craig Hall attended the Fair and encouraged the students.

The Education Trade Mission coincided with the International Education Week, which is an U.S. Government initiative to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences.

The Education Trade Mission visited Katmandu and New Delhi before coming to Kolkata.  They will also visit Thiruvananthapuram.

In each city, the U.S. delegates met with a minimum of hundreds of students during education fairs.  Each student fair had representatives from Education USA.

The Trade Mission provided delegates with many opportunities to network with key contacts in the higher education sector in India.

The twenty U.S. institutions of higher education on the Mission came from the undergraduate, graduate and community college levels throughout the United States.  These institutions offer a broad range of study abroad opportunities, including four-year colleges and universities, graduate programs, and two-year community colleges offering associate degrees and certificates.

The two-year community college option, which is lesser known in India, gives students an opportunity to attain a two-year degree at an accredited institution, and thereafter enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a bachelor’s degree.  Community colleges can be an attractive option due to their relative affordability and smaller class sizes.

Presently 1,65,918 Indians were studying in the U.S. during academic year 2015-16, a rise of 25 per cent over the last year, making it the second leading country of origin among international students in America, according to the 2016 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange released on November 14, 2016.

U.S. Ambassador to India Richard R. Verma said recently that: “One of our Mission’s highest priorities is to promote increased educational ties between the United States and India. That includes promoting studies in the United States, facilitating partnerships between U.S. and Indian higher education institutions, and advocating for increased opportunities for U.S. universities in India.”