India’s tech institutes to keep seats for expats

Ministry notifies Direct Admission of Students Abroad Scheme

Children of Indian expats in the UAE and those of other foreigners globally can now apply for 15 per cent seats reserved for them in India’s premier higher education institutes for technology, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said yesterday.

The mission announced the details of the of Direct Admission of Students Abroad (Dasa) Scheme for such children for the academic year 2022-23 as per the notification from the Indian Ministry of Education.

Dasa Scheme allows foreign nationals studying in any country (including India), wards of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and Non– Resident Indians (NRIs), to pursue technical education in India in NITs and other centrally funded technical institutions (excluding IITs).

The ministry has notified that undergraduate admissions under Dasa 2022-23 will be made on the basis of the ranks obtained by students in the Joint Entrance Examination-Main (JEE — Main) conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA), the embassy said in a press release.

As per the notification, nearly 15 per cent of total seats at National Institute of Technology campuses (NITs), International Institute of Information Technology (IIITs), and centrally funded technical institutions (except IITs) have been reserved for this category of students.

Under the Dasa Scheme, the registration/application fee for the undergraduate programmes is $300 while the tuition fee is $8,000.

Annual fees

The students belonging to ‘children of Indian workers in the Gulf’ (CIWG) category and taking admissions in the undergraduate programmes of the NITs and Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, under the Dasa Scheme can pay tuition fee of Rs125,000 per annum either in Indian rupees or equivalent US dollars at existing exchange rate.

The nationals of Saarc countries (except India) are eligible for 50 per cent tuition fee waiver provided they have passed the qualifying examination (JEE Main) in Saarc countries.

For the postgraduate programmes under Dasa scheme, only foreign nationals, PIOs, OCIs who have completed undergraduate programme in any country (including India) are eligible to apply, the notification said.