As Gujarat University (GU) gears up to welcome its first batch of international students for the 2024 academic year, the arrival of students from Bangladesh raises questions. About 200 Bangladeshi students have secured admission to GU and its affiliated colleges through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarship program.
However, due to the recent political turmoil in Bangladesh following the removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, none of these students have set foot on campus as the new academic session begins.
The Vice-Chancellor, Neerja Gupta told a section of the media that the ambiguity surrounding the arrival of Bangladeshi students arises from uncertainties related to visa issuance and scrutiny. CCR’s scholarship recipients must confirm their admission by August 31 and physically be present on campus.
“Students from Bangladesh constitute a significant portion of our international student body. So far, 2,173 overseas scholarship students from various nationalities have confirmed their admission out of the more than 3,800 applicants. Nearly 2,800 have been granted admission,” stated a GU official.
Vice Chancellor Gupta emphasised that GU has received the highest number of confirmations thus far—an estimated 2,800—and eagerly anticipates welcoming a diverse range of students. “We must await the central government’s policy decision. Additionally, most of the admitted students are Hindus from Bangladesh and given the current turmoil, they may be hesitant to leave their families. We need to exercise patience for clarity on the situation,” Gupta stated.
Recently, GU organised a counselling session for about 20 Bangladeshi students enrolled in its postgraduate department, considering the political developments in their home country.
GU has witnessed a record influx of applications from international students this year through the ICCR. Officials reported that over 3,807 students have applied for admission to GU departments and affiliated colleges via the scholarship program—the highest number in the past five years. In comparison, 2,817 students applied in 2023-24, 2,396 in 2022-23 and 2,000 students in 2021-22, with a similar volume of applications in 2020-21.
With stringent admission criteria and limited seats for overseas students, the most sought-after courses include PhD programs, Bachelor of Arts, integrated MSc, BBA, and BCA. Students admitted through ICCR hail from diverse countries such as Iraq, Gambia, Afghanistan, Kenya, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Swaziland.
GU recently made headlines when Muslim students admitted through ICCR were assaulted in a boys’ hostel block while performing Taraweeh prayers.
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