MUMBAI: For thousands of Indian students, a Harvard degree, a scholarship from Yale, an acceptance letter from Brown, or being a freshman at Princeton may be the ultimate dream, but when it comes to realizing it, desis seem to lag the Chinese.
While the share of Chinese students on the elite and exclusive club of Ivy League campuses has risen steadily over the last decade (2003-13), the rise in the number of Indians has been marginal. In 2013, Chinese (8,549) made up an impressive 27% of the population at the Ivies in 2013, while Indians (3,064) comprised about 9.7% of all international students at the colleges. Over the last decade, the Chinese have improved their share three-fold, whether in undergraduate programmes, graduate schools or non-degree courses. In comparison, the number of Indians has inched up gradually, from 7.9%.
There's no gainsaying that the competition to get into the Ivies is fierce. About 30,000 of the brightest students fought for 2,131 places in the Harvard University undergraduate class of 2013 which saw an acceptance rate of 7.32%, according to Hernandez College Consulting. At Princeton University, 21,964 candidates applied for 2,181 spots. In all, the eight colleges that make up the League received over 2 lakh applications and sent acceptance letters to only 11.9% of them.
"Over a 10-year period (2003-13), the proportion of Chinese and Indian students at Ivy League institutions has risen from 22% to 37% of all international students at the universities," said Rajika Bhandari, deputy vice-president, research and evaluation, Director, Center for Academic Mobility Research at the Institute of International Education. "During the period, the proportion of Chinese at these institutions rose from 14% to 27%, whereas the number of Indians remained between 8 and 10%."
However, the data does not conclusively tell if Chinese students are more attracted to the Ivy League than Indians or if their increasing presence in the League has to do with their rising numbers in the US.
overall growth in Chinese students in the US over the past few years. In general, both Indian and Chinese students attend a wide range of institutions in the US., with most based at large doctoral/research institutions, Bhandari added.
While the count of Chinese flying to the US for education has increased over the years, it has been the reverse in the case of Indians, albeit marginally. Alex Chisholm, director, Statistical Analysis, Graduate Management Admission Council, says, "Each year, thousands of Indian and Chinese citizens apply to Ivy League business schools using the GMAT exam. Although Chinese citizens today sit for more GMAT exams than Indian citizens, Indians actually have more touch points with US MBA programs. This is because Chinese candidates taking the GMAT are primarily interested in non-MBA business degrees such as accounting and finance."
Chinese outstrip Indians in Ivy League - The Times of India
While the share of Chinese students on the elite and exclusive club of Ivy League campuses has risen steadily over the last decade (2003-13), the rise in the number of Indians has been marginal. In 2013, Chinese (8,549) made up an impressive 27% of the population at the Ivies in 2013, while Indians (3,064) comprised about 9.7% of all international students at the colleges. Over the last decade, the Chinese have improved their share three-fold, whether in undergraduate programmes, graduate schools or non-degree courses. In comparison, the number of Indians has inched up gradually, from 7.9%.
There's no gainsaying that the competition to get into the Ivies is fierce. About 30,000 of the brightest students fought for 2,131 places in the Harvard University undergraduate class of 2013 which saw an acceptance rate of 7.32%, according to Hernandez College Consulting. At Princeton University, 21,964 candidates applied for 2,181 spots. In all, the eight colleges that make up the League received over 2 lakh applications and sent acceptance letters to only 11.9% of them.
"Over a 10-year period (2003-13), the proportion of Chinese and Indian students at Ivy League institutions has risen from 22% to 37% of all international students at the universities," said Rajika Bhandari, deputy vice-president, research and evaluation, Director, Center for Academic Mobility Research at the Institute of International Education. "During the period, the proportion of Chinese at these institutions rose from 14% to 27%, whereas the number of Indians remained between 8 and 10%."
However, the data does not conclusively tell if Chinese students are more attracted to the Ivy League than Indians or if their increasing presence in the League has to do with their rising numbers in the US.
overall growth in Chinese students in the US over the past few years. In general, both Indian and Chinese students attend a wide range of institutions in the US., with most based at large doctoral/research institutions, Bhandari added.
While the count of Chinese flying to the US for education has increased over the years, it has been the reverse in the case of Indians, albeit marginally. Alex Chisholm, director, Statistical Analysis, Graduate Management Admission Council, says, "Each year, thousands of Indian and Chinese citizens apply to Ivy League business schools using the GMAT exam. Although Chinese citizens today sit for more GMAT exams than Indian citizens, Indians actually have more touch points with US MBA programs. This is because Chinese candidates taking the GMAT are primarily interested in non-MBA business degrees such as accounting and finance."
Chinese outstrip Indians in Ivy League - The Times of India
