FOREIGN EDUCATION

PROVIDERS
IN INDIA

Report on Collaborative Arrangements

May 2008

Research Team

Ivy Dhar, Project Leader & Consultant

Sudhanshu Bhushan, Advisor
S.No. Contents Pages
1 Foreword 3

5
2 Preface

3 List of Abbreviations 7

4 Executive Summary 10

5 Chapter I Introduction 18

6 Chapter II Collaboration with Foreign Education Providers: 25

A Quantitative Analysis

7 Chapter III Mechanisms of Collaboration: Institutional Case 41

Studies

8 Chapter IV In-Depth Analysis of Collaborating Indian Institutions: 65

Institutional Survey

9 Chapter V Perceptions on Institutions and Courses: Students’ 78

Survey

10 Chapter VI Conclusion 93

11 References 98

12 Appendices 99

1
 Foreword

UK India Education Research Initiative is an attempt to strengthen economic

relationships between the two nations through academic collaboration. In recent years,
foreign universities/institutions have developed academic collaborations with Indian
institutions in different programmes of study amidst uncertainties in regulatory
framework. There is a significant gap in knowledge of the current activities of all Foreign
Education Providers (FEPs) in India. It was, therefore, thought desirable to have an
institutional survey from a secondary source and a student survey from field studies to
throw some light on both the dimensions – institutions and students – of the delivery of
the services by foreign universities.

In a nut shell, it may be concluded that there is high demand for the foreign education in
India. However, the collaborative practices of foreign universities are mainly with private
institutions in India. For a sustainable collaboration, it is necessary that public system of
higher education in India develops the partnership with foreign universities. This can,
however, happen only when the Government of India develops an enabling framework to
support it. With respect to students’ preferences, it is important to note that they have
been looking at investment in education as human capital formation. Demand for
education is seen in terms of expected return in relation to fees. Hence, the preference for
foreign universities is essentially in terms of higher employability.

I would like to congratulate Dr. Ivy Dhar, the project leader and the consultant who
sucessfully completed the project in a record time of four months. Dr. Vijay Vrat Arya
deserves a special mention in assisting the project team right from the beginning till end,
for his extraordinary quality of data search, field surveys and analysis of data. Mr.
Pramod Kumar has most ably assisted the team for which I would like to express my
thanks to him. I would also like to thank the research assistants for their contributions.

I express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Tim Gore, Director Education of the British Council
for expressing confidence in the team for undertaking the project. I must very sincerely
express my gratitude to Dr. Neil Kemp for conceptualising the project and advising the
research team throughout the project. I would also like to sincerely thank Ms. Tarang

2
Gupta, Ms. Parul Gupta and Ms. Malyaj Varmani of the British Council for extending
their support throughout the project. Last but not the least I would like to express my
gratitude to all the heads of institutions supplying relevant information.

I do hope that the stakeholders of higher education would benefit from the research
results.

Sudhanshu Bhushan
Professor & Head
Department of Higher & Professional Education (DHPE)
National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA)
New Delhi

3
 Preface

The research project on “Foreign Education Providers in India” is commissioned under

the aegis of UK India Education Research Initiative (UKIERI). There is a significant gap
in the knowledge of the current activities of all Foreign Education Providers (FEPs) in
India, their approaches to delivery, relationships, relative successes, etc. Improved
understanding of these important issues and collating information on the activities of all
FEPs in India, delivering higher education programmes that lead to undergraduate and
postgraduate (or equivalent) degrees, were identified as important researchable issues by
the British Council.

The delivery of the collaborative programmes in higher education opened up in the 1990s
and since then they have been continuing apace. There remains a gap in information on
the collaborative delivery of programmes, as there is no system of maintaining
registration of those foreign institutions that collaborate with Indian partners. The study
intends to gather all relevant data pertaining to the foreign and Indian collaborating
institutions, focusing on the nature of affiliation, courses offered, validation of courses,
etc. Most importantly, it seeks to compile it in the form of a comprehensive data-base.
Data assemblage is not the sole purpose of the project, however, initiation in this
direction has helped to analyse, compare and assess the current trend of foreign
collaborations in the field of higher education. Since, there is no particular source of
information on the presence and activities of foreign universities and institutions, the
research had to undertake a rigorous exercise of exploring all possible sites for
information to indentify the institutions.

Already two interim reports have been submitted to the British Council. The first one was
a survey on collaborating institutions by using secondary sources of information. Along
with the report, a draft Directory was submitted which was later updated. The second
report was partially based on field-survey. It contained information on students’ who
have studied various collaborative courses. It also presented institutional case studies.
The final report is a complete analysis of data drawn from both secondary sources as well
as from field-survey.

I convey my sincere gratitude to Prof. Sudhanshu Bhusan under whose guidance the
study could be finalised. His meticulous efforts in pinpointing every possible gap and

4
provide suggestions to improve has helped in enriching the research. I would like to
thank Dr. Vijay Vrat Arya for his sincere efforts in compiling the Directory and for the
presentation of data. The study has received active support from Mr. Pramod Kumar in
co-ordinating field surveys. The Co-investigators have given their best efforts so that the
survey could be completed in due time. I also thank Mr. Manjunath C., Mr. Rajesh Ojha
and Mr. Pramod Kumar for their contributions to the project. The collation of data, notes
and observations prepared by the team has provided inputs for the final report. Mr. Dilip
Singh, has typed information and compiled spreadsheets. His efforts are duely
acknowledged. I would also like to convey thanks to Mr. Kalra and Dr. Chandra Jeet for
editing the text, Mr. Nitin Jain for designing and Ms. Soma Mitra for advice on managing
the account.

The research team would like to thank all the Directors and Principals for their precious
time to understand the objectives of the study and extending their co-operation by
providing relevant information pertaining to their institutions. Special thanks are due to
students’ who have spared their time in between their classes to answer the queries.

I convey my sincere gratitude to Mr. Tim Gore, Director Education of the British Council
for providing me this opportunity to undertake the study. I would like to sincerely thank
Ms. Tarang Gupta, Ms. Parul Gupta and Ms. Malayaj Varmani of the British Council for
extending their support. Discussing the project details with them has helped to plan the
course of action. I must convey my reverence to Dr. Neil Kemp, from the Steering
Committee, whose advice during the course of the study has helped to bring further
precision. I express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Sudhanshu Bhushan, Prof. Sachidanand
Sinha and Prof. Sudha Pai for giving my recommendation to undertake the project.

Comments and Suggestions are most welcome.

Ivy Dhar 1
Project Leader
New Delhi

1
ivydhar@gmail.com

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 List of ABBREVIATIONS

3D - Three Dimensional
AHLA - American Hotel and Lodging Association
AICTE - All India Council for Technical Education
AIT - Ansal Institute of Technology
ASI - Administrative Staff College of India
B.Sc. - Bachelor of Science
B.Tech. - Bachelor of Technology
BA - Bachelor of Arts
BAC - British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher
Education
BBA - Bachelor of Business Administration
BE - Bachelors of Engineering
BHSM - Bachelor in Hospitality Management
BIT - The Birla Institute of Technology
BS - Bachelor of Science
BSHRIM - Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional
Management
BTEC - Business & Technician Education Council
BTEC - BTEC Higher National Certificate
HNC
CEO - Chief Executive Officer
CIE - Cambridge International Examination
CII - Confederation of Indian Industry
CISCO - Cisco Systems, Inc.
CRS - Computerised Reservation System
CSM IGS - CSM Institute of Graduate Studies
CU - Clemson University
EMU - Eastern Michigan University
EQUIS - European Quality Improvement System
FEP - Foreign Education Providers
FIAT - Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training
FIT - Fashion Institute of Technology
GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education
GGSIP - Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
GMAT - Graduate Management Admission Test

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 GOTA - Global Opportunities and Threat Analysis Programme
GRIHM - Golden Regency Institute of Hospitality Management
HLC - Higher Learning Commission
HNC - Higher national Certificate
HRD - Human Resource Development
IHM-A - Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad
IILM - Institute for Integrated Learning in Management
IIM - Indian institute of Management
IIPM - Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIT - Indian Institute of Technology
IMI - International Hotel Management Institute
INSEAD - Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires
ISO - International Organization for Standardization
ITM - Institute of Technology and Management
ITQPL - InterGlobe Technology Quotient Pvt. Ltd.
JHU - John Hopkins University
KIUST - The King’s International University of Science and Technology
LBIIHM - Lakshya Bhartee Institute of International Hotel Management
LSE - London School of Economics & Political Science
M.Phil. - Master of Philosophy
M.Sc - Master of Science
MA - Mater of Arts
MAHE - Manipal Academy of Higher Education
MAII - Modi Apollo International Institute
MBA - Masters in Business Administration
MCA - Master of Computer Application
ME - Masters of Engineering
MIM - Modern Institute of Management
MIMIT - Malout Institute of Management & Information Technology
MIS - Management Information Systems
MITES - Management of IT & IT-Enabled Services
MNC - Multi-National Company
MoU - Memorandum of Understanding
MS - Master of Science
NAAC - National Assessment and Accreditation Council
NBA - National Board of Accreditation
NCA - North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
NCSU - North Carolina State University
NDSU - North Dakota State University
NIEPA - National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration
NIFT - National Institute of Fashion Technology
NIMS - Netaji Subhash Institute of Management Sciences
OBC - Other Backward Class
PG - Post Graduation

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 Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy
PSI - Personalized System of Instructors
QA - Quality Assurance
RISER - Rajagiri International School for Education and Research
SACS - Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
SAI - Sun Academic Initiative
SAT - Scholastic Aptitude Test
SC - Scheduled Caste
SJSU - San Jose State University
ST - Scheduled Tribe
SUNY - State University of New York
IIM - The Indian Institute of Management
ISB - The Indian School of Business
TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language
TASMAC - Training and Advanced Studies in Management and Communications
Ltd
U.P. - Uttar Pradesh
UG - Under Graduate
UGC - University Grants Commission
UK - United Kingdom
UKIERI - UK-India Education and Research Initiative
UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UOW - University of Wolverhampton
US/USA - United States of America
WMG - Warwick Manufacturing Group
WiFi - Wireless Fidelity

8
 Executive Summary
The Project
1. Supply of education services by foreign institutions in partnership with the Indian
institutions is making a visible presence in the higher education of India. The
partnerships are operated through various mechanisms with different types of
institutions across India and they involve foreign institutions across the globe.
The study provides an overview of arrangements for imparting foreign degrees to
Indian students’.
2. The project aims to develop comprehensive database and information on the
various collaborative arrangements with foreign universities and institutions. It
gathers information through institutional survey and also conducts student survey
with a view to understand the students’ responses towards the collaborative
programmes.
3. The study is takes into account the fact that the Indian Government is in the
process of developing a regulated mechanism for operations of foreign
institutions. In an atmosphere of retrospection, the study will further highlight the
existing academic links with foreign institutions and might be able to intensify
the discourses.

Presence of Foreign Education Providers (refer to section 2.2.)

4. The study has been able to identify 143 Indian institutions and 161 Foreign
Education Providers engaged in collaboration. The total number of collaborations
is 230. Each collaboration may have one or more than one programme delivery.
Thus the total number of programmes that are collaboratively delivered is
numerically 641.
5. The geographical distribution of the Indian institutions that have foreign
collaboration shows that such activity is highly concentrated in Maharashtra,
Delhi and Tamil Nadu. 25 (17%) institutions in Maharashtra, 22 (15%)
institutions in Delhi and 21 (15%) institutions in Tamil Nadu have collaborations
with foreign educational institutions.
6. At present, higher educational institutions from UK and USA are showing
maximum interest in collaborations with the Indian institutions. Out of the total
230 existing collaborations, 86 collaborations are with educational institutions
from the UK, followed by 79 from the USA. The study shows that 55 institutions
from UK have their presence in India followed by USA with 46 institutions in
India through various collaborative arrangements like twinning, franchisee, joint
provisions and link programmes.

9
 Types of Indian Institutions Engaged in Collaboration (refer to section 2.4. & 4.3)

7. Both secondary and primary sources of information reveal that maximum

collaborations of foreign institutions are with non-affiliated private institutions. In
the list of 143 institutions, 69 (48%) private non-affiliated institutions have
collaborations with foreign universities/institutions. In the sample survey of 22
institutions delivering a total of 71 programmes, 34(48%) are being delivered
through non-affiliated private institutes.
8. In the second rank are the private sector institutions that are affiliated with the
Indian Universities. They constitute 29% (42) of the 143 collaborating institutes.
Sample survey of 22 institutes reveals that 12 (17%) programmes are being
delivered through private colleges/institutes affiliated to the Indian Universities.
These private institutions are affiliated to Open University or State University for
delivery of programmes, providing the students degrees of the respective Indian
University. They also are tied up with foreign institutes for offering courses.
9. Private institutes constitute the maximum share of collaborations. Very low
participation of public institutes is found. Only 3 State University and 4 Deemed
Universities out of 143 institutions are found to be collaborating with foreign
partners.

Legal Basis and Quality Assurance of Indian and Foreign Institutions (refer to
section 2.5, 2.6 &4.9)

10. The Indian institutions that are managed by trust have maximum number of
collaborations. They constitute 35% of the total number of institutions (143),
followed by those institutions that are established under the Society Act (16%).
There are also some institutions that are industry managed (5%) and some are
formed under the Company Act (6%).
11. Public foreign Universities/Institutes are operating in large numbers. There are 92
Foreign Education Providers under public sector and 54 under private sector.
12. Only 49 Indian Institutions have a quality assurance arrangement and 66 Indian
Institutions do not have any kind of quality assurance arrangement. 106 foreign
institutions are reported to have quality assurance arrangement and 5 foreign
institutions do not have quality assurance arrangement. Data was not available for
all the institutes.
13. Among the various accreditation agencies involved in quality assurance with the
Indian Institutions, 27 institutions have accreditation from ISO. Very few
institutions (8) have NAAC accreditation. This is mainly because most of the
collaborating institutions are private. There are also some institutions (12) that are

10
 accredited by the foreign affiliating institute or some foreign accreditation
agency.
14. Various countries have their own accreditation agencies. In UK, there is the UK
Quality Assurance Agency. In USA, institutions have accreditation from the
Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of
Colleges and Schools (NCA), the Association's Commission on Institutions of
Higher Education, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS),
among others. Institutions across Europe and also other countries have
accreditations from an international system of quality assessment like EQUIS.
15. In the sample survey of 22 Indian institutions, it has been found that 11 are
recognized by the Government of India while 10 are not. 16 Indian institutions
have reported that they are aware of the quality assurance arrangement of Foreign
Education Providers in their home country, while 10 institutions have reported
that they are not aware of the quality assurance of their foreign partner in their
home country.

Collaborative Programmes Offered to Indian Students’ (refer to section 2.7, 4.4

& 4.5)

16. The Indian institutions are affiliated to foreign institutes to offer various
programmes and courses to the Indian students’. The study has tried to cover all
possible fields engaged in foreign collaboration. On the basis of the information
gathered, we can say that maximum number of collaborations is taking place in
the field of Management and Business Administration. Out of the total of 641
programmes, 170 (26.5%) collaborative programmes are offered in this field. The
next most offered discipline for collaboration is Engineering &
Technology/Computer Application/Information Technology with 145 (22.6%)
collaborative programmes, followed by Hotel management and House Keeping
with 134 (20.9%) collaborations.
17. Architecture, Natural Sciences, Physiotherapy, Nursing and Pharmacy are very
low sought after fields for collaboration. Other relatively less offered fields for
collaborations are Arts and Humanities, Medicine and related fields, and
Agriculture, Fisheries and Veterinary Sciences.
18. An interesting finding is that most of the collaborative programmes offered by
Indian educational institutions are at the under-graduate degree level (230
programmes). Among the foreign degrees offered, single foreign degree (507
programmes) is more in practice than joint or dual award.
19. The sample results of 22 Indian institutions showed that out of 71 collaborative
programmes, 2487 students’ are enrolled in 26 post-graduate degree courses and
1414 students’ are enrolled in 22 under-graduate degree courses. 495 students’
are enrolled in 8 under-graduate diploma courses, 322 students’ are enrolled in 8

11
 post-graduate diploma courses and 25 students’ are enrolled in 1 certificate
course.
20. Out of 143 institutions we could collect a sample of 22 institutions. It is quite
possible that in the web based search, 50% of the institutions have been left out.
Thus, we have scaled up the sample number by a scale of 8 for the minimum in
the range and 12 for the maximum in the range. On this basis, it may be projected
that at present that there are a minimum of 40000 students’ and a maximum of
60000 students’ enrolled in such collaborative programmes.
21. Sample results show that fees of 75% of the programmes are less than Rs. 2
lakhs. If 40000 students’ are studying in transnational programmes and an
average of Rs 1.25 lakhs is charged per student, then the scale of financial
operation is about Rs. 5 billion and is roughly equivalent to 5% of the total public
expenditure on higher education in India. Thus in terms of enrolment, the scale of
operation may seem miniscule. In terms of finance, the scale of operation is not
that small.

Mechanisms of Collaboration in Transnational Study Programmes (refer to section

3.2, 3.3 & 4.7)
22. Some important forms of delivery of transnational education in India have been
identified as franchising, study centers, twinning, link programmes and distance
learning arrangements. In all these modes, programmes of the foreign institutes
move partly or fully to host institutions. Student mobility is generally witnessed
in link programme and twinning arrangement. Franchisee institute may also have
provision for student transfer, if students’ are willing to undertake transfers.
23. Twinning arrangement was found in 216 study programmes; hence it is the most
sought-after form of delivering transnational study programmes. This could be
because it gives the institution a hassle-free way of providing its students’ a
foreign degree. It simply transfers the student to the foreign institutions. Two or
more institutions may agree to jointly recognise a study programme, so that
students pursuing their studies in one institution have their credits accepted by
others. It may lead to single, joint or dual foreign degrees. Prin.L.N. Welingkar
Institute of Management Development & Research, Mumbai has twining
programmes in Bioinformatics with Nottingham Trent University and the final
award is jointly given by both the institutions. University of Delaware issues its
degree (singular) through twinning arrangements with Sri Chanakya Institute of
Hotel Management & C.T.
24. The provision for credit transfer may be mutually made convenient into a two-
way process, whereby foreign students’ who have acquired certain credits in a
foreign University are transferred to an Indian institute for completing certain
credits and obtain an Indian/foreign degree. The institutions may also tie up with
several foreign Universities to create the provision of credit transfer.

12
 Collaborations at Ansal Institute of Technology (AIT) are a good example of this
kind of multiple collaborative arrangements.
25. Foreign Institutes are engaged in academic collaborations through course
curriculum and syllabi designing, course validation, course monitoring and
faculty training. In the sample survey of 22 institutions, it has been observed that
in matters of course designing and course validation, foreign institutions are
taking the sole responsibility. On the other hand, in the course delivery, scrutiny
of applications and examination arrangement, it is the Indian partner who takes
the maximum responsibility. However, some foreign institutions are playing a
much larger role. The University of Warwick looks after all academic aspects of
its collaboration with ITM, including selection of faculty, approval of syllabi,
assessment, examination arrangements, moderation and determination of
University examination results. ITM assists Warwick in the recruitment and
selection of students, in accordance with the criteria set out by the University.
26. Collaborations are developed even by corporate affiliation. The Modi Apollo
International Institute (MAII) is an initiative brought to India through a joint
venture between the K.K. Modi Group and Apollo International Inc., USA. The
degree programmes imparted in the institute are accredited degree programmes of
the Western International University, USA.
27. Multi-institute affiliation for delivery of a single programme and twin-institute
affiliations leading to joint or dual degrees are practiced. The Indian School of
Business with London Business School, Wharton Business School and Kellogg
School of Management deliver accelerated a one-year post graduate and a one
year PG diploma programme in Management. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and
Marshall university jointly certifies their MBA programmes. The Amrita Vishwa
Vidyapeetham has collaborated with The State University of New York (SUNY)
to provide dual degrees to students’ of M.Sc. in Management Information
Systems.

Features of Delivery of Transnational Study Programmes (refer to section 2.7, 4.6

&3.4)
27. On the basis of the secondary sources of information, it has been seen that Face to
Face – Full Time (569) programmes are the most common mode of course
delivery. The provision of Flying tutor existed in 78 programmes. Distance mode
is practiced in 60 programmes. From the primary survey of 22 institutions, it has
been observed that 41 out of 71 programmes are offered as full-time study ones
and 9 as part-time. 2 institutes have online/distance mode, 2 institutions deliver
programmes by means of flying tutor and 3 institutes have offshore campus
training.
28. The approach for transacting the delivery in such programmes is participatory,
develops skills of articulation, and provides larger fields of exposure than

13
 classroom teaching. Institutions try to develop diversified skills as it helps
students’ to gain acceptance in the global market.
29. Examples drawn from various institutions show that learning facilities are
enabled through the use of technology. In the Training and Advanced Studies in
Management and Communications Ltd., students have access to high technology
infrastructural facilities, computer labs with free Internet access and access to the
University of Wales online library. The M.A. programme in Sustainable
Development offered by Jadavpur University in collaboration with Staffordshire
University is accessible online from home or elsewhere. The year of completion
the course is flexible.
30. Delivery of transnational programmes is skill-oriented, hence many institutes
facilitate interaction with industry by organizing joint workshops (Christ College)
and incorporate industrial training modules in their programmes (Institute for
Technology and Management). Some institutes try to develop good service skills
by polishing communication ability (Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training)
and some provide global leadership programmes to enhance Managerial skills
(Indian Institute of Management).

Perceptions of Students’ (refer to section 5.4., 5.5., 5.6., 5.8, 5.9., 5.10, 5.11., 5.12.)

31. In the sample study of 155 students, economic background of the family of
students’ provides a mixed picture. 18 % of the students belong to those families
whose income is less than Rs. 2 lakhs. 32% of the students belong to those
families whose annual incomes range between 2lakhs-4 lakhs rupees, 28% belong
to those families whose annual incomes range between 4lakhs-6 lakhs rupees.
21% of the students belong to those families whose per annum income is more
than 6 lakhs rupees.
32. It is important to analyse the relationship between fees of courses and students’
family income. Maximum number of students are pursuing courses whose family
incomes are in the range of Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh. 39% of the students are
paying in the range of 50,000 to 1 lakh and another 32% are paying between 1
lakh to 2 lakh. It means that the annual fee consists of roughly half or one third of
the income of the family. Naturally the fees cannot be afforded out of the current
income of the family. This shows that households in India consider investment in
education as some form of human capital yielding returns in the future.
33. The information gathered shows that still the families of 79% of student give full
financial support the students opting for FEP programmes. Around 13% students
receive partial financial support from their families and around 8% students do
not take any financial support from their families. 5% students have opted to take
100% loans from the banks to finance their courses. Around 10 % of students get
somewhat financed by banks. There are also some students whose educational
expenses are borne by their employer either fully (1%) or partially (1%).

14
 34. The study sets out some motivational options and asks the participants to rank
their preferences for opting for collaborative courses. If we analyse the first
preference, then 56% of the students mark their personal interest as the most
motivating factor, followed by 17% of the students who take up such courses to
get an opportunity to earn a foreign degree. In the case of second preference, 29%
students seem to have been motivated by the fact that FEP courses widen
placement opportunities. Again 25% of the students have marked the opportunity
to earn a foreign degree as their second preference. While in reference to third
choice, around 16% of the students marked the desire to earn higher education
status/foreign tag. 14% students have mentioned that collaborative programmes
provide an easy way to migrate abroad.
35. Data has been collected to know the source of information about the programmes.
79 students came to know through family and friends, 61 students through
advertisement in paper/radio and 52% through the internet.
36. Regarding foreign degrees, 77% of the students identified foreign universities as
the foreign degree providing agency. This means that these students would
acquire a single foreign degree. 21% identified that they would get joint degree of
Indian and foreign university and only 2% identified a dual degree. It has been
observed that students are very aware of the mode of getting their degrees.
However, not all students. They did not bother much to find out whether the
degree providers are actually approved/recognised by the Indian regulatory
agencies.
37. The study has found that among the 29% who had the opportunity of giving
campus interviews, 13% were selected by Indian companies, 5% were selected in
MNCs, only 1% were selected in companies of foreign countries and 10% of the
student were not selected.
38. The students were asked to assess their institutions and the overall delivery
mechanism of the courses and rate their perception in terms of their satisfaction.
43% noted that they were satisfied, 40 % declared high satisfaction, 13% declared
very high satisfaction and only 2% each rated their level of satisfaction as low
and very low respectively.

Conclusion
39. The Foreign Education Providers, who give more emphasis to the need of
supplementing content-rich curricula with activity-based learning and to bridge
the gap between academia and industry, have been quite visibly marking their
presence in India.
40. The practices of collaboration are beneficial to both institutions and students. In
those arrangements where the foreign institution actively co-operates in training
faculty, curriculum development or partially imparts courses through flying
tutors, it enhances the potential for improvement of the quality of the delivery of

15
 programme. It may enlarge the capacity of the institution to deliver quality
education. Students gain much through such arrangements as the capacity of the
teachers and the institutions improve. It has had a positive impact on the capacity
of the students as well. The collaborative courses are student-centered and
encourage skill- development.
41. The private institutions in India are overall dominating in the field of
collaborative programmes. There is very low participation of public institutes
from India. The practice of collaboration is highly market driven. Foreign
education providers are public institutions, yet a sizeable number of them are
private institutions.
42. The MoUs are signed directly with foreign education providers. Hence,
collaborations are set in accordance with the terms that are mutually convenient.
Foreign agencies may be accrediting the courses.
43. The aspects of recognition, quality assurance and regulation, if properly
addressed, could help in building long-term relationships of collaboration. The
legal registration of all foreign education providers in India will add to many
positive outcomes. The foreign education providers as well as the Indian
education providers need to be recognized in their respective countries. The
government of India needs to look at the activities of collaborative programmes
as a fact of life and consider these as opportunities through legislative and
regulatory measures.

16
 Chapter I

Introduction

1.1. Introduction

Internationalisation of higher education has an important constituent in terms of the

supply of education services by foreign education providers. Given the excess demand
for higher education in India, the foreign education providers, guided by market signals,
began their operations. However, these market signal were not supported by government
regulation. As a result, the provision of education services by foreign universities were
limited and remained mostly confined to the initiatives by private institutions in India. It
is important to question against this environment of market and regulation - how have the
foreign education providers been operating through collaborative arrangements in India?
Another important issue is related to responses of students towards educational services
provided to them through collaboration with foreign universities/ institutions.

The research study has been taken up in two parts. Part I of the study deals with
institutional survey and part II deals with student survey. The report is prepared on the
basis of quantitative information obtained from web searches of institutions and on the
basis of information gathered from sample institutions. A section of report is based on the
survey of the students.

1.2 Project Aims

a) This project has been conceptualized by complying with the UKIERI’s
objective of reducing the gap in understanding the current activities of all
foreign education providers in India, their delivery mechanisms, links, etc. It
aims to develop comprehensive database and information on the current
activities of Foreign Education Providers in India. The Institutional Survey is
a part of the broad project deliverables. The survey will provide information
on the activities of FEPs in India delivering all forms of higher education
programmes that lead to undergraduate and postgraduate (or equivalent)
degrees. This will include all foreign institutions (from US, Australia,
Germany, UK, etc.) delivering programmes in India. Information on each
institution pertains to the collaborative foreign universities, legal basis of
partner institutions, QA arrangements, level, subject and nature of
programmes, names of final awards and modes of delivery.

17
 b) Another important aim is to understand the feedback from the students. As
stated earlier, there is a potential market for higher education. However, the
regulation does not support entry of foreign universities. Given a situation of
this sort, student’s feedback will be quite interesting for the market players
and stakeholders as well as the government, which is instrumental in giving a
final shape to the policy on foreign education provision. Hence, analysing the
feedback from the students’ forms another objective of the project.

1.3: Foreign Education Providers in India

The Foreign Education Providers operate in various manners through their collaboration
with the Indian educational institutes-

1. They provide foreign degrees to students enrolled in Indian institutions. The degrees
may be single, joint or dual awards. (eg: Single foreign Degree awarded by Cranfield
University, UK to students’ of Institute of Clinical Research (India); Marshall University,
USA and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore has provision for joint award and Amrita
Vishwa Vidyapeetham and the State University of New York (SUNY), USA practice
dual award).
2. They establish links with the Indian institutes through franchisee, joint provision and
twinning arrangements. Such links may also lead to practice of curriculum development,
curriculum validation, student exchange, faculty exchange, etc. (eg: Franchisee mode
between International Hotel Management Institute (IMI), Switzerland and Kohinoor –
IMI Khandala School of Hospitality Management, Pune; Joint Provision between London
School of Economics & Political Science (LSE), U.K. and City School of Social and
Managerial Sciences, Chennai; Twinning Arrangement between University of Plymouth,
UK and International Maritime Institute, Noida).
3. They set up their study centres in partnership with the Indian institutions (eg: the
Thompson River University, Canada has opened its study centre in Canadian Institute for
International Studies, Fategarh Sahib).
4. They have opened up opportunities for credit transfers to their own institutions
(Schiller International University, USA in collaboration with Durgapur Society of
Management Science, Durgapur is allowing transfer of credit through twinning
arrangement).

Previous study, conducted by K.B. Powar 2 , found that the number of international
agencies in India has increased from 114 in 2000 to 319 in 2004. These institutions
include 204 service providers recruiting students for their home campuses and 115 other
agencies offering courses in various modes like study centers and off-shore campuses and

2
K.B. Powar, Dubious overseas education providers (http://www.hindu.com/edu/2005/) accessed on 5th March, 2008

18
nearly a third of the foreign providers are not universities. The study conducted by
NIEPA 3 did not make any credentials on the exact number of existing foreign education
providers during the time of study in the absence of any regulation on foreign education
providers. It could gather sample of 131 Indian institutes collaborating with foreign
education providers.

The present study probing into the presence of Foreign Education Providers in Indian
higher education found that the FEPs from UK have the largest share of affiliations with
the Indian educational institutes. 37% of all existing collaborations are with the
educational institutions of UK. Foreign Education Providers of the USA cover 34% of the
affiliations. A detailed discussion on the outcome of the study is presented in the
following Chapters.

1.4: Importance and Scope of the Study

There is no disagreement on the fact that the Indian institutions, which are mostly private/
privately managed, have been increasingly receptive to developing affiliations with
foreign institutions. The government could not remain detached from the issue and since
2005, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has been making attempts to
provide an appropriate legal framework for Foreign Education Providers in India. The
Foreign Education Providers (FEP) Bill, piloted by the HRD ministry, has been approved
by the Union Cabinet in 2007. As per the Draft Bill, all foreign universities will get the
status of Deemed Universities before enrolling students, thereby bringing them under the
ambit of the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) regulations. However, a new clause
in the bill empowers the government to exempt foreign institutions from any provision of
the legislation. This clause has opened the possibility of exempting these institutes from
regulations like reservations, fee structures and salaries. The FEP bill, however, has not
been passed by the Parliament and the regulation on the foreign education providers’
issue is still pending.

In the present scenario, when regulations of FEPs are on their way, mooting the idea to
conduct a study on “Foreign Education Providers” is appropriate and timely. The study
will give a clearer picture on the types of collaborations with various institutions across
India. The outcome of the study, which will detail out contacts of Indian and foreign
institutions that are in collaboration, their quality assurance arrangements, information on
programmes delivered and various other provisions that are essential for institutions. It
will help in developing a comprehensive and compact database of information.

3
Prof. Sudhansu Bhusan, Foreign Education Providers in India: Research Project Granted by MHRD (New Delhi: National Institute
of Educational Planning and Administration(NIEPA), April, 2005), pp. 39-40

19
The importance of the study follows the fact that the mainstream system of state
universities, understand the value of engaging in collaboration with foreign universities.
In the present phase of globalization, the university system cannot remain isolated. State
universities and colleges need to develop academic tie- ups at greater depths. The study
through institutional and students’ survey will bring to the fore, information that may be
useful for public universities in India. It will help in deciding the academic links with
foreign university.

More importantly, the regulatory councils and quality assurance agencies will understand
the importance of the phenomenon that is market driven but now has become a reality.
The regulatory systems have to accept this reality and give serious thoughts to the issue
of internationalisation of higher education, including the phenomenon of the supply of
higher education services by foreign universities, in the design of higher education
policy. So far, this has been neglected in the context of the policy, though the issue has
been a part of the discourse. The present study will intensify the discourse both for the
regulatory bodies as well as for the quality assurance agencies.

The collaborations between foreign institutions and Indian institutions range widely. It
covers research, study programmes, training, exchange programmes, etc. The study is
oriented to cover detailed information on those Indian institutions and their
corresponding foreign partner institutions that deliver all forms of higher education
programmes leading to the award of degrees/diplomas or certificates.

1.5: Methodology

The study seeks to obtain information on various parameters of the collaborative

provisions. Due to the absence of regulation and non-availability of any mechanism of
registration of foreign education providers in India, it is indeed difficult to trace all the
institutions collaborating with foreign universities/institutions. The study, first, prepared
its data-base of information through web search. The data sources include websites of
Indian institutions, websites of collaborating foreign institutions, websites featuring
information on collaborating institutions, websites featuring news on foreign education
providers and websites featuring information about accreditation agencies. A format 4 was
prepared specifying various indicators for sorting data. This was further filtered on
spreadsheets. Tables and graphs have been prepared to give an account of some of the
operations of foreign education providers.

The web search found 143 Indian institutes collaborating with foreign institutes. There
are many Indian institutes that have more than one campus across various states. The

4
See Appendix B

20
total number of branch campuses of the institutes is 264. Since all collaborations are
formed at the central level of the institutes, no variation is found among the branch
campuses of the institutes. In this study, each institute, irrespective of its branches, is
treated as one data unit so that uniformity of data could be maintained. In the next round
of research, the study proposed to do sample survey from the list of identified institutes.

Simultaneously while the data search was undertaken, two questionnaires 5 were
developed. The first one, relating to institutions, was meant to gather information on the
features of the institutions and collaborative programmes offered by them. In regard to
the collaborative programmes, information was sought on the mode of course delivery,
amount of fees charged, number of students enrolled, etc. It also sought to gather
information on the nature of collaborative arrangements including types of affiliation,
types of awards, etc. The second questionnaire solicited information from the students in
relation to their education and economic background, their preferences for undertaking
the programme and perception towards the institutions offering collaborative
programmes.

A team of researchers visited different institutions across India in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon,
Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai to field-test the questionnaires. The team gathered
information about the institutions and its programmes from the head of the institutions or
teacher-in-charge. Simultaneously, information was gathered from the students enrolled
in the institutions. The team was able to gather samples from 22 institutes for institutional
survey and from 25 institutions. It was able to gather samples from 155 students. The
method applied was random sampling.

Information was also collected through email and post, though very few institutes
responded. In total, students and institutions survey included, data was collected from 34
institutions. The information gathered from field was further filtered on spreadsheets for
analysis.

Pamphlets and brochures of institutions, books and internet searches were also used
extensively as sources of obtaining information on the mechanisms of collaborations and
related issues. The total project period was 4 months, from January to April 2008.

5
See Appendix C and D

21
1.6. Chapter Schema

The report is presented in six chapters, the first one is the introduction and the following
chapters are the findings and analysis of the study.

Chapter II of the report analyses the data on existing Foreign Education Providers and
their counterpart Indian collaborating educational institutes. It throws light on the
presence of foreign education providers, distribution of collaboration in terms of different
countries and different states in India, typology of the Indian institutes that collaborate
with foreign institutes, quality assurance arrangements of Indian and foreign institutes
and various types of collaborative programme on offer.

Chapter III makes a qualitative appraisal of collaborative arrangements in India by

drawing up cases of institutions. It seeks to explain the forms of delivery of transnational
education and its mechanisms of operation through different collaborative techniques. It
further evaluates the learning mechanisms applied in the delivery of transnational
education.

Chapter IV discusses the findings of sample institutional survey. It analyses the mode of
delivery, level, student enrollment, type of award, etc of FEP programmes in various
institutions. It provides further emphasis on finding the current status of collaboration of
the sample institutions and on the share of work between Indian and foreign partner
institutions in regard to curriculum design, course delivery, course validation and other
such joint provisions of collaboration.

Chapter V makes an analysis of perception of students. The students’ choice of courses,

level and duration of courses opted for, means of finance for the courses, motivation for
opting for FEP programmes, preference for FEP programmes over courses offered in
Indian Universities, levels of satisfaction with regard to delivery mechanism, etc are
discussed through tabulated information.

Chapter VI presents the concluding remarks on the study.

The study has also developed a directory. The directory is a compilation of 143 Indian
Institutes, detailing their names, addresses, names and addresses of foreign collaborative
partner/s, programme/s offered, modes of course delivery and the nature of collaboration.

22
1.7. Limitations

There is no system of proper registration of FEPs operating in India. At the first stage,
researchers have tried to gather all available information on collaborative partnerships
through web searches. An important limitation of the study is that the web search is the
basis for identifying institutions. The web does not display all information of their
collaborations with Foreign Education Providers. The web searches may not provide
updated information in some cases. Therefore, information collected by the researcher
may suffer marginal error, which is not expected to be too large. Sometimes researcher
also encountered problems in interpreting certain information while preparing the data-
base of institutions collaborating with foreign universities. The study has however tried to
rectify information after receiving it from some of the institutions. During the second
stage of survey, that is field-study, researchers faced the problem of not getting the
expected response from the institutions, especially from the unrecognized ones.

23
 Chapter II

Collaboration with Foreign Education Providers

A Quantitative Analysis

2.1. Introduction

Internationalisation of higher education manifests itself in various forms, of which the

provision of foreign education through programme mobility is perhaps the most visible
one. Its presence in India is not a new phenomenon, yet the continuation of its expansion
has not led to the emergence of a transparent mechanism of registration of Foreign
Education Providers. This would have helped in easily assessing the activities of FEPs.
There are multiple modes of arrangement between the foreign and Indian partner
institutes. This chapter tries to draw together data on the existing Foreign Education
Providers and their Indian counterparts, using secondary sources of information. It makes
an attempt to understand the distribution of collaboration between Indian and foreign
educational institutes in terms of various states in India and countries of the world. It also
makes an assessment of the types of collaborative Indian institutes, levels and types of
collaborative programmes and focuses on the quality assurance aspect of Indian and
foreign institutes.
2.2. Presence of Foreign Education Providers

Due to the absence of a system of registration, it may be difficult to accurately assess the
number of existing Foreign Education Providers. The number of Foreign Education
Providers has been identified through visiting websites of those Indian education
institutions that display information on their collaborations with foreign institutes. There
are 143 such Indian institutes collaborating with foreign institutes as against 161 Foreign
Education Providers.

2.2.1. State-wise Distribution of Collaborating Indian Institutions

Geographical distribution of the Indian institutions with foreign collaborations shows that
such activity is highly concentrated in Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu. 25 (17%)
institutions in Maharashtra, 22 (15%) institutions in Delhi and 21 (15%) institutions in
Tamil Nadu have collaborations with foreign educational institutions. Closely following
them is the state of Karnataka with 18 (13%) collaborating institutes, followed by Andhra
Pradesh (15 or 10%), West Bengal (12 or 8%), Uttar Pradesh (7or 5%) and Haryana (6 or
4%). (See Table 2.2.1).

24
 Table 2.2.1
State-wise Number of Institutions having Foreign Collaboration
S. No. State Number of Percentage
Indian (%)
Institutions
1 Andhra Pradesh 15 10
2 Delhi 22 15
3 Goa 3 2
4 Gujarat 3 2
5 Haryana 6 4
6 Jharkhand 1 1
7 Karnataka 18 13
8 Kerala 4 3
9 Madhya Pradesh 1 1
10 Maharashtra 25 17
11 Punjab 4 3
12 Tamil Nadu 21 15
13 Uttar Pradesh 7 5
14 Uttarakhand 1 1
15 West Bengal 12 8
Total 143 100

State-wise percentage distribution of collaborating institutes is shown graphically (See

Figure 2.1)

Figure 2.1: State-wise Distribution of Collaborating Institutions

State-wise Percentage (%) Distribution of Institutions
West Bengal Andhra Pradesh
Uttarakhand 8% 10%
1%

Uttar Pradesh
5%
Delhi
15%
Tamil Nadu
15%

Goa
2%
Punjab Gujarat
3% 2%
Haryana
4%
Jharkhand
Maharashtra 1%
Karnataka
17% 13%
Kerala
Madhya Pradesh
3%
1%

25
 2.2.2. Country-wise Distribution of Collaborative Foreign Institutions

At present, higher education institutions from the UK and the USA are showing
maximum interest in collaborations with Indian institutions. Universities from Australia,
Canada and Switzerland are also making their presence felt in India. Out of 230 existing
collaborations, 86 are with educational institutions from UK, followed by 79 from USA.
Educational institutions from Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Germany and France have
15, 12, 6, 5 and 2 collaborations in India respectively. (See Table 2.2.2 for the trend of
existing collaborations).

Table 2.2.2
Country-wise no of Collaborations

Number of Country-wise Total number of Collaborations

Indian UK USA Australia Canada France Germany Switzerland Others Total
Institution
N 143 86 79 15 12 2 5 6 25 230
% 100 37 34 7 5 1 2 3 11 100

The total number of collaborations with 161 foreign universities is 230. Each
collaboration may have one or more than one program delivery. Thus the total number of
programmes that are collaboratively delivered with 161 foreign universities is
numerically 641 (See Table 2.2.3).
Table-2.2.3
Number of Collaborative Foreign Institution/University and Collaborating
Programmes

Number of Collaborations Number of collaborative Number of collaborative

with Foreign foreign Programmes
Universities/Institutions Universities/Institutions
230 161 641

Further enumeration of distribution of collaborative foreign institutions/universities

according to the country of origin reveals that the UK has the maximum number of
55(34%) collaborating institutions in India, followed by USA 46(29%) institutions and
Australia showing 13(8%) institutions (See Table 2.2.4). This data is quite evident from
the previous data discussed in Table 2.2.2 as the UK and the USA have the maximum
number of collaborations with Indian institutes. (For a tabulated list of Foreign
Universities, see Appendix A).

26
 Table 2.2.4
Country-wise Distribution of Collaborative Foreign Institutions/Universities

Countries UK USA Australia Canada France Germany Switzerland Others Total

N 55 46 13 11 2 4 5 25 161
% 34 29 8 7 1 2 3 16 100

2.2.3. Country-wise Distribution of Collaboration in Different States of India

A cross-section of collaborations between institutions of various countries and states of

India is enumerated in Table 2.2.5. Among the total 230 existing collaborations with
Indian institutions, it is found that institutions from the UK have the maximum number of
collaborations with institutes in Delhi (19), followed by Maharashtra (15), with the third
highest concentration of 9 each in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Tamil Nadu and
Karnataka also have a good number of collaborations (8 each) with UK institutions and
following very closely is Andhra Pradesh with 6 collaborations.

The collaboration with institutes of the USA is also most highly concentrated in Delhi
(13), followed by Karnataka and Maharashtra (11 each), Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh
(9 each) and Haryana (8). In case of Australia, its institutes have maximum concentration
of collaborations with institutes in Delhi, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh (3 each). Canadian
institutes have maximum concentration of collaborations with institutes in Delhi, Gujarat,
Maharastra, Punjab and Tamil Nadu (2 each). Institutions from France have a single
collaboration each with institutions in Delhi and Karnataka. Institutions from Germany
have maximum number of 2 collaborations each with institutes in Delhi and Tamil Nadu.
Switzerland has 2 collaborations each with institutes in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Further, out of total 230 collaborations, the maximum number of foreign collaboration
exists with institutions located in Delhi (53), followed by Maharashtra (33), Karnataka
(28) and Tamil Nadu (24). Comparing data of this table with the previous Table 2.2.1,
where the number of Indian institutes collaborating with foreign institutions has been
discussed, we see that a maximum number of institutes are located in these states.
However, this data is only representational because branches of a good number of
institutions are spread across the country. These also deliver collaborative programs but
they have not been treated separately from the sample institution.

27
 Table 2.2.5

Country-wise Distribution of Collaboration in Different States of India

Countries UK USA Australia Canada France Germany Switzerland Others Total

State

Andhra 6 9 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pradesh 15
Delhi 19 13 3 2 1 2 0 13 53
Goa 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 6
Gujarat 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 4
Haryana 5 8 1 1 0 0 0 0 15
Jharkhand 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
Karnataka 8 11 3 1 1 0 1 3 28
Kerala 2 5 1 0 0 0 0 2 10
Madhya 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pradesh 1
Maharashtra 15 11 1 2 0 0 2 2 33
Punjab 1 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 8
Tamil Nadu 8 9 1 2 0 2 2 0 24
Uttar Pradesh 9 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 13
Uttarakhand 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
West Bengal 9 4 2 2 17
Total 86 79 15 12 2 5 6 25 230

2.3. Multiple Collaborations

The study found that both Indian and foreign universities/institutions may have more than
one collaboration. Among the educational institutes of India, the National Institute of
Fashion Technology (NIFT) has a very high number of collaborations (19) with foreign
institutions from countries like UK, Sweden, Italy, USA, Germany, South Africa, France,
Canada and Australia. NIFT has its branches across India in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Ansal Institute of
Technology (AIT), situated in Haryana, has 8 collaborations with educational institutes
mostly from the USA. Rajagiri International School for Education and Research
(RISER) in Kerala, Institute for Integrated Learning in Management (IILM) that has
campuses in Delhi and Haryana and Christ College situated in Karnataka has 6, 5 and 4
collaborations with various countries respectively. There are also institutions that have
more than 2 collaborations like Atharva College of Hotel Mgmt. & Catering Technology
and L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research in Maharahtra,
The Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) in Jharkhand, Netaji Subhash Institute of

28
Management Sciences (NIMS) in Delhi, Goa Institute of Management in Goa and like-
wise there are many other institutions that have more than one collaboration.

Among the foreign Universities and Institutes, American Hotel and Lodging Association
(EI-AHLA), USA, has 28 collaborations. Queen Margaret University has 5. City and
Guilds, UK, Nottingham Trent University, UK, University of Leeds, UK and University
of Wales, UK have 4 each. Schiller International University, USA, Staffordshire
University, UK, Napier University, UK, Thames Valley University UK, University of
London, UK and Western Michigan University, USA have 3 collaborations each. There
are many foreign institutions/Universities like De Mont Fort University, UK, Deakin
University, Australia, University of Central Lancashire, UK and University of Bradford,
UK, LDT Nagold, Germany, to name a few, that have 2 collaborations with Indian
institutes. (See Appendix A)

2.4. Typology of Indian Institutions

It is important to know the typology of Indian institutions, which are collaborating with
foreign educational institutes/Universities. From the information gathered, Indian
institutions have been categorised into state universities, private universities, deemed
universities, private sector institutions that are affiliated to Indian universities, private
non-affiliated institutions, state government managed institutions, private company
institutions, autonomous aided college’s, and other institutions. It was found that
42(29%) of private sector institutions 6 that are affiliated to Indian Universities are also
affiliated to foreign institutes/ universities. Sreenidhi Institute of Science and
Technology, Hyderabad, is affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University,
Hyderabad. Institute of Computer and Business Management – School of Business
Excellence, Hyderabad to Osmania University, Hyderabad. Skyline Education Group,
Delhi is a branch campus of MAHE, Manipal (a deemed university) and university study
centre of Sikkim Manipal University (a UGC recognized state university). These private
institutions after being affiliated to Indian universities are engaged in collaborations with
foreign universities, awarding foreign degrees.

The maximum number of collaborating institutions is private non-affiliated institutions 7

(69,48%). This category of institutions is engaged in different types of programme
delivery like Insurance and Finance, Hotel management, Hospitality management,
Airhostess training, etc. They are collaborating with foreign institutions leading to the

6
These private institutes are registered under trusts or societies. These institutes are also governed by the
rules and regulations of the university they are affiliated to.
7
It means institution not established or maintained by the Central Government; State Government or Union
Territory Administration or any public body, nor do they have to comply with rules of any University. They
may be managed by trust or societies. Therefore, the private non-affiliated institutions do not have the
authority to grant degrees.

29
 award of degree/diploma. 7 (5%) private companies 8 are also found to be collaborating
with foreign institutions. Raffles Design International, Mumbai; Wigan & Leigh College,
Delhi; Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, Mumbai are established under
companies act and are collaborating with foreign institutions for awarding foreign
degrees. Thus, nearly 82% of Indian institutions collaborating with foreign
universities/institutes are in the private sector. Only 3 State Universities 9 and 4 Deemed 10
Universities are found to be collaborating with foreign partners. (See Table 2.4.1.).

Table – 2.4.1.
Type of Indian Institute
Indian State Private Deemed Private sector Private non State/government Private Autonomous Any other
Institutions Universities Universities universities institution/college affiliated managed company aided institutions
affiliated to State or institutions/colleges institutions institutes colleges/institutes
other university for a
program/programmes
N 143 3 0 4 42 69 7 7 7 0
% 100 2 0 3 29 48 5 5 5 0

2.5. Legal Basis of the Institutions - Indian and Foreign

Indian institutions that are managed by Trusts have the maximum number of
collaborations. They constitute 35% of the total number of institutions, followed by those
institutions that are established under Societies Act (16%). There are also some
institutions that are industry managed (5%) and some formed by Company Act (6%).
Among the industry-managed organisations, we would like to cite the example of VLCC
Institute of Beauty, Health and Management. It runs certificate/diploma courses in
Beauty Culture, Fitness and Nutrition in affiliation with City and Guilds (UK). The City
and Guilds is the UK’s leading awarding body in work-related qualifications. Information
on legal basis is not easily available. Information is based on 70% of sample institutions
(See 2.5.1).
Table – 2.5.1
Legal Basis of Indian Institute

Total Trust Societies’ Company State/Central Industry Any Not

Number of Act. Act Legislation managed other Available
Indian organisation
Institutions
N 143 50 23 9 4 7 8 42
% 100 35 16 6 3 5 6 29

There are 92 Foreign Education Providers under public sector and 54 under private sector
(See Table 2.5.2). There are many institutions which do not have any status of university.
American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), USA; Amsterdam Fashion institute,
8
The incorporation of a Company is governed by the Companies Act 1956.
9
It means a university established or incorporated by an Act of the State Legislature and is funded by the
state governments.
10
It means an institution so defined under section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956. It
enjoys the same academic status and privileges as a University.

30
Netherland; Avril Rowlands Television Training School, UK; College of Tourism and
Hotel Management, Cyprus, do not seem to have university status in their respective
countries.

Table – 2.5.2
Legal Basis of Foreign Institute
Public Private Other Not Total
Available
N 92 54 6 9 161
% 56 34 4 6 100

2.6. Quality Assurance Arrangement of Indian and Foreign Institutions

An important aspect of the information relates to quality assurance arrangements of

Indian Institutions and FEPs. It is observed that 46% of the Indian institutions, with
collaborations with foreign universities, do not have any quality assurance. Only 49
(34%) Indian institutions have quality assurance. In case of 28 Indian institutes, such
information is not available on the web. Out of the 161 foreign universities/institutes, 106
institutions were reported to have quality assurance. Only 5 institutions did not have
quality assurance. In the case of 50 foreign institutions, information with respect to
quality assurance could not be obtained from the website search. (See Table 2.6.1).

Table 2.6.1
Quality Assurance of Indian Institutions and Collaborations with FEPs

Indian Institutes Foreign universities/

institutions
Total Yes No Not Total Yes No Not
Available Available
N 143 49 66 28 161 106 5 50
% 100 34 46 20 100 66 3 31

It has been observed that some Indian institutions are quality assured by more than one
quality assurance agencies. Among the various accreditation agencies involved in quality
assurance to Indian institutions, the institutions mostly have accreditation from ISO (27).
Very few institutions have NAAC accreditation (8). This is mainly because most of the
collaborating institutions are private ones. There are institutions that are accredited
internationally or by some foreign accreditation agency like Golden Regency Institute of
Hospitality Management, Haldia is accredited by Regency Institute of Tafe, South
Australia. The total number of institutions with foreign accreditation is only12.

31
 Table 2.6.2
Quality Assurance Agencies of the Indian Institutions

Name of the Quality Assurance Agency

Foreign Total
quality State CSR
ISO NAAC assurance Government NBA
Institutes 27 8 12 2 2 1 52
Quality
Assured
% 52 15 23 4 4 0 100

Some countries have their own accreditation agencies. In the UK, there is the UK Quality
Assurance Agency 11 . In the USA, institutions have accreditation from Higher Learning
Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA)
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools (SACS), 12 among others. Few institutes of Canada have quality assurance
from Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. Institutions across Europe and
other countries have accreditations from international systems of quality assessment like
European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) 13 .

An important feature of collaborations is that only a few Indian institutions, that are
recognized by Indian government, offer collaborative programmes. National Institute of
Fashion Technology was established in 1986 under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles,
Government of India. The NIFT Act was passed in 2006 to establish and incorporate it
for education and research in fashion technology. It has collaborations with 19 institutes,
which stand recognised. AIT has been approved by GGSIP University Delhi to run
professional programmes like BBA, BBA (Banking and Insurance), B.Arch and BCA.
This Institute is recognized by the University Grants Commission 14 under section 2(f) of
the UGC Act 1956. AIT has twinning arrangements with several foreign universities like
Clemson University, USA; North Dakota State University, USA; San Jose State
University, USA; Eastern Michigan University, USA; Saint Mary's University, Canada;

11
The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) was established in 1997 to provide an integrated quality assurance service for
United Kingdom higher education. UK higher education institutions, wherever they operate or award degrees, must
meet the strict criteria of the UK's QAA; if not they will be liable to strong sanctions in the UK, including closing
programmes. UK QAA also undertakes overseas QA audits.( www.qaa.ac.uk/ & comments from British Council)
12
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools,
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools are some among the six regional accrediting organizations for higher
education institutions recognized by the United States Department of Education and Council for Higher Education
Accreditation. (en.wikipedia.org/)
13
EQUIS is the international system of quality assessment, improvement, and accreditation of higher education
institutions in management and business administration.( http://www.efmd.org/)
14
The University Grants Commission of India is a Union government body that has the mandate to maintain standards
of higher education. It also provides funding support to the universities and colleges in India.

32
Tarleton State University, USA; University of Northern Alabama, Alabama; and Deakin
University, Australia.

Loyola, Chennai, signed an MOU with London South Bank University to conduct a joint
M.Sc. in International Business and in Corporate Governance (a one and half year
programme). It is one of the first eight colleges to receive an autonomous status. This
helped the college introduce new courses, innovations in teaching and evaluation
methods. Loyola College is affiliated to the University of Madras, and enjoys recognition
by UGC under 2 (f) and 12 B. The college also has NAAC 15 accreditation (A+ level) and
was funded under the scheme- ‘College with Potential for Excellence’ in 2004 by UGC.
Omayal Achi College of Nursing, Chennai, established under Public Charitable Trust, is
affiliated to Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R Medical University and is recognized by the State
and Indian Nursing Council. In affiliation with the Queen Margaret University College,
Edinburgh, the college is jointly running 1 Year B.Sc. (Post Basic) in Nursing Studies
program in India.
Out of the total 143 collaborating institutes, only 52 are found to be recognized by the
Government of India through its various bodies of constitution.. Other institutes are either
not recognized or proper information is not available.
Table 2.6.3
Institutes Recognised by the Government of India
Name of the Indian Government Recognising Bodies
AICTE/N UGC State Central Total Total Number
BA Government/ Government/Bodi number of of Institutes in
Bodies of State es of Central institutes Collaboration
Government Government Recognised
N 20 13 8 11 52 143

2.7. Collaborative Programmes offered in India

Indian institutions are affiliating with foreign institutes to offer different programmes and
courses to Indian students. From the information collected, it was found that 641
programmes are offered in collaboration with foreign institutions. These programmes are
offered at various levels of education and may be of different nature in terms of award.

15
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is an autonomous body established by the University
Grants Commission (UGC) of India to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in India. It is an outcome of
the recommendations of the National Policy on Education (1986) that laid special emphasis on upholding the quality of
higher education in India.( www.naacindia.org/)

33
2.7.1. Course-wise Distribution of Collaboration

With regard to concentration of collaboration vis-à-vis various disciplines, from the

information gathered, a maximum number of collaborations is taking place in the field of
Management and Business Administration (See Table 2.7.1). In all, 170 (26.5%)
collaborative programmes are offered in this field. The next highest discipline for
collaboration is Engineering & Technology/Computer Application/Information
Technology with 145 (22.6%) collaborative programmes, followed by the field of Hotel
Management and House-Keeping with 134 (20.9%) collaborative programmes. Applied
Arts and Applied Science have 45 (7%) and 31 (4.8%) collaborative programmes on offer
respectively. Mass Communications and Media related programmes, and Commerce and
related study programmes both have 25 (3.9%) collaborative programmes. Beauty and
Grooming have 20(3.1%) on offer respectively. Architecture, Natural Sciences,
Physiotherapy, Nursing and Pharmacy are very low sought-after field for partnerships
with only 1 (0.1%) collaboration each. Other relatively less fields for collaborations are
Arts and Humanities, Medicine and related fields and Agriculture, Fisheries and
Veterinary Sciences, as they have only 7(1%), 6 (0.9%) and 3 (0.5%) collaborations
respectively.

Table 2.7.1
Discipline-wise Distribution of Collaboration
Number of %
Major Disciplines Programmes
Agricultural/Fisheries/Veterinary Sciences 3 0.5
Applied Arts (Fashion Designing/Textile/Interior Designing/Jewellery/Pottery/ Graphic Design) 45 7.0
Applied Science 31 4.8
Architecture/Planning 1 0.2
Arts/Humanities/Social Science 7 1.1
Aviation Industry Management 3 0.5
Beauty/Grooming 20 3.1
Commerce/Business Studies/Accounting/Finance 25 3.9
Education 2 0.3
Engineering & Technology/Computer Application/Information Technology 145 22.6
Management/Business Administration 170 26.5
Media/Journalism/Mass Communication/Film & TV Animation 25 3.9
Medicine/Dental/ Ayurvedic/Unani/Homeopathic 6 0.9
Natural Sciences 1 0.2
Pharmacy 1 0.2
Physiotherapy/Nursing 1 0.2
Hotel Management/House Keeping 134 20.9
Any Other 21 3.3
Total 641 100

34
2.7.2. Level and Types of Final Award

The study, as per the information gathered, shows that most of the collaborative
programmes offered by Indian educational institutions are at the under-graduate degree
level (230). Following this, there are post-graduate degree programmes (150) that are
currently running in collaboration with foreign institutions and after this follows UG
Diploma (120). The least number of collaborative programmes are available in
Ph.D/M.Phil (5). (See Table 2.7.2)

Table 2.7.2
Levels of Program on Offer

UG PG UG PG Certificate PhD/MPhil Total

Degree Degree diploma diploma (research)
N 230 150 120 50 86 5 641
% 36 23 19 8 13 1 100

In terms of final awards, we find that there are a good number of collaborations in MBA
(66), BA and B.Sc programmes (61 and 59 respectively), followed by B.S and M.Sc (41
and 38 respectively). Ph.D has the least collaborative arrangements. UG/PG Diploma
across different disciplines has the maximum number of programmes in collaborations
(171) followed by certificate courses (78). (See Table 2.7.3.)

Table 2.7.3.
Types of Final Award in Collaboration

Name of the Final Award N %

BE 15 2
BS 41 6
B Tech 10 2
BA 61 10
BBA 16 2
BSc 59 9
Certificate 78 12
UG/PG Diploma 171 27
MA 8 1
MBA 66 10
ME 7 1
MS 6 1
MSc 38 6
PhD 2 0
Other 63 10
Total 641 100

35
2.7.3. Types of Foreign Degree Offered in Collaborative Programmes

Among the foreign degrees offered, single foreign degrees (507) are more in practice than
joint or dual awards (See Table 2.7.4).

Table 2.7.4
Type of Award Delivered
Single Foreign Joint Degree Dual Award Not Available Total
Degree (Foreign + (Separate
Indian Foreign +
combined Indian award)
award)
N 507 14 39 81 641
% 79 2 6 13 100

2.7.4. Mode of Collaboration in Study Programmes

Indian institutes may have more than one type of collaboration for a particular
programme of study. Some institutes have not mentioned their modes of collaboration.
From the available information, twinning arrangements were found in 216 study
programmes, franchisee arrangements in 65 study programmes, 92 programmes are
delivered through joint provision and 25 programmes are delivered in the study centers of
foreign institutes (See Table 2.7.5).
Table: 2.7.5
Distribution of the Types of Collaboration
Number of
Types of Collaboration Programmes
Collaboration with Franchisee Provisions 65
Collaboration with Joint Provision 92
Collaboration with Twining Arrangement 216
Collaborations as a Study Center 25

2.7.5. Modes of Course Delivery

There may be multiple modes of course delivery. It is seen that Face to Face ( Full Time)
(569) is the most common mode of course delivery. Credit Transfer is practised in the
case of 186 programmes. The provision of Flying Tutor exists in 78 programmes.
Distance mode is practised in 60 programmes. On-line course delivery is not a very
common method of course delivery (table 2.4.7). The table does not refer to mutually
exclusive modes for programmes, each programme may have more than one form of
course delivery.

36
 Table 2.7.6
Mode of Course Delivery

Face- Face- Flying Distance Online

to- to- tutor Mode Course
Face Face (Foreign Delivery
(Full (Part Faculty)
time) time)
Number of 569 42 78 60 17
Programmes

2.7.6. Admission Processes

The admission processes vary from one institution to the other. However, more than one
step of admission may be followed for the same course. Sometimes the candidates may
be admitted by a single step like an entrance test or may be based on their performance in
the qualifying exam. They may also be admitted following these two steps - entrance test,
followed by interview and group discussion or by a three-step process, etc. The most
common method of admission followed by most of the institutions in most of the courses
is that of the entrance tests (304). There are also many courses, which have the provision
of direct admission through submission of an application (234) (See Table 2.7.7).

Table 2.7.7
Mode of Admission

Entrance Interview/Group Performance Through Any

Test Discussion in Application Other
Qualifying
Exam
Number of 304 268 268 234 77
Programmes

2.7.7. Provision for Students’ Admission and Placements

Programmes delivered through foreign collaboration may not provide due advantage to
students who are entitled to reservations. There are very few programmes where a
relaxation of admission criteria is followed for the socially disadvantaged sections of the
society. Only 26 programmes have reservations. However, many institutes may have the
provision for placement for students. Campus- interviews may be arranged by the
institutes, which help students with job opportunities. In 433 programmes there is a

37
provision for placement (See Table 2.7.8, A and B). The provision for placement is
available in a relatively large number of programmes because private institutes try to
make the programmes attractive to students. Whereas, reservations are followed only in
government managed or funded educational institutes.

Table: 2.7.8.
A: Reservation Adopted
Number of
Programmes %
Followed 26 4
Not followed 414 65
Information not
available 201 31
Total 641 100

B: Placement Provisions

Number of
Placement Provisions Programmes %
Available 433 68
Not available 22 3
Information not
available 186 29
Total 641 100

2.8. Conclusion

Foreign Education Providers have been acting as a supplement to Indian higher education
because the motivation for seeking foreign education through Indian institutes may be
beyond the issue of quality higher education. Foreign Education Providers that stress on
the need to supplement content-rich curricula with activity-based learning, bridging the
gap between academia and industry, have been quite visibly marking their presence in
India. On the basis of the information, it was found that many courses have provisions for
placements; therefore, despite a lack of recognition in most of the private Indian
institutions, they have been able to attract students to enroll in their collaborative
programmes. These aspects could be better understood through a qualitative analysis of
institutions and students enrolled in such institutions.

38
 Chapter III

Mechanisms of Collaboration
Institutional Case Studies

3.1. Introduction

In the post-liberalisation phase, private education sector has been expanding rapidly. The
expansion of privatization in education has led to a major shift in the mode of operation
as well. A visible development, since the last decade, is that educational institutions in
India have started operating in collaboration with foreign educational institutes. These
collaborating institutions provide foreign degrees in India, mostly through program
mobility. The nature of collaboration varies among different institutions. Indian
institutions may have different modes of collaboration with foreign institutions like
twinning arrangements, franchisee, branch campus etc. The main objective of this chapter
is to provide evidence-based review of mechanics of collaborative arrangements in higher
education.

3.2. Transnational Education and Forms of Delivery in India

Transnational education refers to a form of education in which the provider of education

of a country provides education to the students located in another country. Transnational
education takes place through the mobility of programmes and institutions.
‘Transnational education’ has been defined by UNESCO/Council of Europe Code of
Good Practice in the Provision of Transnational Education as "all types of higher
education study courses, or sets of courses of study, or educational services (including
those of distance education) in which the learners are located in a country different from
the one where the awarding institution is based". Besides, the code also specifies that
such courses may belong to the educational system of a country different from the one in
which they are offered or may be offered independently of any national system. 16

Transnational organisations are international organisations offering so-called

international programmes/qualifications, which actually do not refer to any specific
education system. Edexcel offers a variety of qualifications, including A-levels, GCSEs
and the BTEC suite of vocational qualifications. It is an international organisation,
awarding over 1.5 million certificates to students around the world every year. It has

16
Council of Europe/UNESCO Code of Good Practice in the Provision of Transnational Education.Council of Europe/UNESCO,
2000

39
entered a strategic relationship with Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, which
has introduced the internationally acclaimed and highly-rated BTEC Higher National
Certificate (BTEC HNC) in Aviation, Hospitality and Travel Management in India.

Some important forms of delivery of transnational education in India have been identified
as follows ––

1. Franchising- Franchising happens when a certain higher education institute

(franchiser) of one country authorizes another institution (franchisee) in another country
to provide its courses under its supervision. Under this process, the franchisee can operate
with the franchiser’s name, use the curriculum designed by the franchiser and also apply
the franchiser’s evaluation method in its institutions. Thus, the local provider is licensed
to provide the course of the home institution under the conditions set in the contract.

There are cases where the franchiser may not be recognised in the country where the
franchisee is located. The Educational Institute of American Hotel & Lodging
Association has been operating in India through franchising with many educational
institutes of India such as Lakshya Bhartee Institute of International Hotel
Management(LBIIHM); College of Hospitality & Tourism Studies; Institute of Advanced
Management; Academy of Culinary Education; to name a few. Modern Institute of
Management (MIM) provides opportunities for its students to acquire degrees in BBA,
B.S., MBA, MS and Ph.D from the American International University of Management
and Technology, USA, through franchising operations. Mahan Institute of Technologies
is a franchisee of Red Hat, United States. In all the instances, the franchiser is not
recognised by the Indian regulatory authorities.

This is a form of international outsourcing in which some of the activities, normally

provided by the franchiser, are contracted out to local partner institution (franchisee). 17 It
provides a lower cost option to the students without incurring major investments required
for a full campus. Regulatory authorities in India do not consider it with favour. All India
Council for Technical Education (AICTE), in its regulation, forbids the franchising in
technical education. In our survey, we observed that 10% of the delivery of programmes
had been taking place through franchisee.

2. Study Centre- A higher education institution of one country (home) decides on the
course design, curriculum, examination and other procedures of the educational
programmes delivered in an educational institute of another country (host), which is not
owned by the institutions of the home country.

17
Grant Mc Burnie and Christopher Ziguras, Transnational Education: Issues and Trends in Offshore
Higher Education (London and New York: Routledge, 2007), p. 32

40
The Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan is a recognised study center of the Marshall University.
MBA courses offered in Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan are validated and designed by the
Marshall University and the faculty of that University have been involved in the course
delivery and in the process of selection of students. The Academy of Business
Management is a study center of KIUST, USA, which offers MBA and Ph.D programmes
of the KIUST. The foreign institute does not take part in course delivery, however course
validation and the designing of curriculum is the responsibility of the foreign partner.

The Indian institute could be a study centre of more than one foreign institution; that is
the Canadian Institute for International Studies is a study centre of Georgian College of
Canada, Thompson Rivers University of Canada, and AYR College of Scotland. The
three different foreign institutes have been offering various courses in engineering and
technology, business administration, music, fashion designing and art and design in the
Canadian Institute for International Studies.

3. Twinning: Under twinning, students complete the first component of the qualification
in the host country and after its successful completion, they complete their studies at the
home institution. Two or more institutions may agree to define jointly a study program,
so that students pursuing their studies in one institution have their credits recognised by
others. These may or may not lead to joint or dual degrees. Under twinning, a student is
enrolled throughout with the foreign provider even though he studies at the local institute.
When a student is enrolled initially with the local partner and subsequently enrolls with
the foreign provider, this is referred to as articulation arrangement.
Prin.L.N. Welingkar, Institute of Management Development & Research, Mumbai has
twining programmes in Bioinformatics with Nottingham Trent University, UK. The
M.Sc. Bioinformatics is a one year program of 180 credit point of which 90 credit points
courses are offered at Welingkar during the first six months and the rest 90 credit points
are conducted at Nottingham Trent University in the last six months. The final award is
jointly given by both the institutions.
Sri Chanakya Institute of Hotel Management & C.T., affiliated to Andhra University, has
a twinning arrangement with the University of Delaware, USA. There is no provision for
joint degrees, the degrees are certified only by the University of Delaware. The degree for
the course of Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management
(BSHRIM) will be awarded to those candidates who complete sixty credits at Andhra
University followed by seventy credits at University of Delaware, USA. The course
structure for the 60 credits under Andhra University is designed for four consecutive
semesters - 1 to 4, to be offered in two years. The degree shall be awarded by the
University of Delaware after the completion of the remaining seventy credits in that
campus. Students will have to pay Rs. 1.2 lakh per annum for the first two years of study
of sixty credits under the affiliation to Andhra University and a Tuition fee of 379 US

41
dollars per credit for the remaining seventy credits of study at the University of
Delaware, USA.

Twinning arrangements are a quite sought after provisions in collaboration. This could
be, because they give institutions a hassle-free way of giving students a foreign degree by
simply transferring the student to the foreign institutions. Christ College exemplified its
objectives behind twinning arrangement as-

• To provide quality education at reasonable costs

• To provide educational experience through international exposure
• To qualify students for world competition in the Global Employment Market
• To increase students’ capacity to lead productive and responsible lives with an
open minded, tolerant, humanist approach towards each other on campuses and in
the world community 18
Institutes and the collaborating foreign partners adopt their own mechanisms of the
arrangements and therefore it could be either 1+2, 2+1, 2+2 or 3+1. The twinning
arrangements may also vary within the institution for different courses stretching in
different time-periods of completion. In some cases, a major portion of course may be
completed in India and a small part may be completed in the foreign country or vice-
versa. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has twinning arrangements with
many foreign institutes- University of Leeds, De Mont Fort University, Fashion Institute
of Technology (FIT), Nottingham Trent University and University of Johannesburg, to
name a few.

Mechanism of Arrangement in Twinning

Institute for Integrated Learning in Management (IILM) has twinning arrangements with University of Bradford, Leeds
University Business School, Royal Halloway University of London, Michigan Technology University and Dublin Institute
of Technology. Example-

In collaboration with University of Bradford In collaboration with Leeds University Business School
1. B.Sc(Hons) in Business and Management studies, 4. BA Management (1+2)yrs
(1+2)yrs 5. BA Accounting and Management (1+2)yrs
2. B.Sc (Hons) in Accounting Finance, (1+2)yrs 6. BA Accounting and Finance (1+2)yrs
3. B.Sc (Hons) in Marketing, (1+2)yrs 7. BA Human Resource Management (1+2)yrs
In collaboration with Royal Holloway - University of
In collaboration with Michigan Technological University
London ,
11. BS Computer Engineering (2+2)
8. BA Management with Marketing (1+2)yrs
12. BS Chemical Engineering (2+2)
9. BA Management with Human Resources Management
(1+2)yrs
10. BA Managemant with Accounting (1+2)yrs
11. BA Management with International Business (1+2)yrs
12. BA Management with Information Systems (1+2)yrs

18
Prospectus of Christ College, Bangalore, 2007; p. 4

42
5. Link Programmes- In this arrangement, the higher educational institution of one
country (home) enters into an agreement with another institution in another country
(host), which enables students to earn a foreign degree that is linked with the degree
already earned in the host country. Credit transfer and twinning methods are applied in
this arrangement. However, in link programmes, students admitted in the host country in
one programme may be admitted in the home country for another programme through the
completion of the previous programme, heading for higher qualification. For eg-diploma
in host leading to degree in home through some added education or training.

Under the collaborative agreement with the University of Leeds, the Birla Institute of
Technology (BIT), Ranchi offers BE linked with ME in various engineering disciplines
to be earned in the University of Leeds. The students can do the 3rd and the 4th years of
the BE programme at the University of Leeds. They will study 2 years at BIT and if they
go to the University of Leeds after the 4th semester for another 2 years, they will get an
ME from the University of Leeds in the following disciplines: Electronic Engineering;
Electronic and Electrical Engineering; Electronic and Communications Engineering;
Automotive Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Mechatronics. The major advantage
is that in 4 years, the student can get a BE from Birla Institute of Technology and an ME
from the University of Leeds.
Golden Regency Institute of Hospitality Management offers an Advanced Diploma in
Hospitality Management, which is linked with the Bachelor’s degree program of
Hospitality Management offered by Regency Institute of Tafe through twinning
arrangements. After the Advanced Diploma, students need to complete another one year
of studies to obtain the Bachelor's degree. According to the institute, this scheme allows
students to get easy access to Australian institutions for Higher Education and
subsequently, job placement in Australia. 19

Link programmes, therefore, help students not only in getting dual degrees but also by
giving them an exposure to two different learning environments. Through link
programmes, the home country institutes generally assure upgrading of degrees earned in
the host country.

6. Distance Learning Arrangements –Here, the learner is provided with course

materials via post or web-based solutions, by the institution of one country which is self-
administered by learners at home or administered through the institution in another
country. There is a growing number of such transnational educational institutes. There are
a few institutes in India which have been running programmes in collaboration with
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) under University of London
External Programme. Russell Square International and City School of Social and
Managerial Sciences (CSSMS) have been offering programmes in various disciplines

19
www.goldenregency.net/ accessed on February 2008

43
under this arrangement. The External programmes manage the majority of the University
of London's distance learning courses.

Staffordshire University, in partnership with Jadavpur University, offers M.A. in

sustainable development in India. This unique part-time master’s degree is delivered by
an online distance (distributed) learning mode, and can be accessed by computers with
Internet access at home or elsewhere. Staff from Staffordshire and Jadavpur interacts
with their students to support learning and monitor progress of the latter through
workshops arranged at Jadavpur University.

Unlike face-to-face mode of course delivery, distance learning arrangements is mostly

dependent on the learner’s interest because there are no regular classes or strict
maintenance of attendance. The students do not get to interact so often with the instructor
through classes, so it does not assure that the instructor is likely to take much interest in
the progress of the learner.

7. Validation- It prescribes to a process by which the awarding institution judges if a

programme developed and delivered by another institution or organisation is of an
appropriate quality and standard to lead to its award. In the particular case of
accreditation the process of validation may be delegated to the partner organisation
although, the awarding Institution retains the ultimate responsibility for the quality and
standards of the awards. A validated programme normally, but not invariably, is in a
subject which the awarding Institution offers. The awarding institution determines the
extent to which it exercises direct control over the quality assurance aspects of the
programme's management. 20

Textile Institute, UK, validates the one year diploma programme in footwear design and
production of Central Footwear Training Institute. Around 4 institutes like Nottingham
Trent University, UK, LDT Nagold, Germany, International College of Professional
Photography (ICPP), Australia and London College of Fashion, UK, validate
programmes delivered by Pearl Academy of Fashion. There are as many as eight
programmes in fashion, textile, jewellery, photography etc that are validated by theses
four institutes. s

After analysing the various forms of delivery of transnational education, it can be

maintained that there is widespread mobility between foreign and Indian institution. The
OECD (2004) has begun using the terms “student mobility”, “program mobility and
“institutional mobility” to describe the range of ways in which education can cross
borders. 21 Institutional mobility is used for international branch campuses, though not
evident in India.

20
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/codeOfPractice/, accessed on July 15th, 2008
21
op.cit., no.7; p. 22

44
 In modes like twinning, franchising, study centers, distance learning arrangements and
link programmes with host institute, programmes of the foreign institutes move partly or
fully. Student mobility is carried about generally in link program and twinning
arrangement. Franchisee institute may also have provisions for student transfers, if the
students are willing. The delivery of transnational education is depicted diagrammatically
in the figure below.

Figure 3.2.1: DELIVERY OF TRANSNATIONAL EDUCATION

PROGRAM MOBILITY

DISTANCE LINK TWINNING FRANCHISING STUDY FOREIGN

LEARNING PROGRAMMES ARRANGEMENT MODE CENTRE
ARRANGEMENT WITH INSTITUTE
INDIAN
INSTITUTE

Full Full Partial

Mode Mode Mode

STUDENT MOBILITY

3.3. Mechanisms of Collaboration

Foreign degree providers have been operating in India through alliances with Indian
institutions. It has been observed that the means of alliance adopted by the partner
institutions are of various natures. It is very rarely seen that within the Indian institution,
the mechanism may vary in regard to collaboration with different foreign partner
institutions, eg. Institute of Advanced Management has twinning arrangement with
Aberdeen Business School and the Robert Gordon University while the Educational
Institute of American Hotel and Lodging Association validates its courses. The
following arrangements are found in collaboration, which is further explained with
examples drawn from various institutes across India. It is based on study of websites of
the institutions and their brochures and pamphlets collected from the respective
institution campuses.

3.3.1. Credit Transfer between Indian and Foreign Institutes

Credit transfers enable students to complete a part of the course in India and another part
in a foreign institute. Credits assigned for the courses completed in India are recognised
and automatically transferred to the foreign University and the students are to complete
only the remaining credits in the foreign University to get a foreign degree. The course

45
structures and standards are generally set by the foreign partner and sometimes foreign
institutions take part in monitoring and evaluating the faculty.

The provision for credit transfer may be made mutually convenient as a two-way process,
whereby foreign students having completed certain credits in a foreign university are
transferred to an Indian institute for completing certain credits and in order to acquire an
Indian/foreign degree. The institutions may also tie up with several foreign universities to
create the provision of credit transfer. Collaborations at Ansal Institute of Technology
(AIT), is an example of mutual credit transfer.

Ansal Institute has credits transfer system with provisions for scholarships with
accredited American universities like Clemson University (CU), North Dakota State
University (NDSU), San Jose State University (SJSU), North Carolina State University
(NCSU), Eastern Michigan University (EMU). It also has collaborations for credit
transfer with Canadian, Australian and European Universities such as McMaster
University; University of Windsor; University of New Brunswick; St. Mary’s University
of Canada; University of Western Australia and Deakin University in Australia;
University of Science and Technology, Lille in France and University of Plymouth in the
UK.

Transfer from US/UK/Australian Universities to Ansal Institute is also possible though

subject to approval from the concerned University. One such student from the University
of Massachusetts, Boston, USA got his credits transferred to Ansal Institute. After
completing Ansal Institute's prescribed coursework, the student was transferred to CCU
from where he completed a BSc degree in Computer Science.

AIT students can also get sizable scholarships (up to US$ 12,000 per annum) awarded by
the US universities. As per AIT MOU, students are generally exempted from SAT and
TOEFL requirements in the US, but are advised to take the examination for smoothly
clearing the visa formalities. Different courses taught at AIT have some equivalence with
foreign institution courses, and foreign universities like Clemson University also provide
their course curriculum. AIT runs a course on BS (Computer Engg.) in collaboration with
Clemson University with the same book and have the same course numbers as the
Clemson courses. Upon transferring to Clemson, these students are no longer AIT
students; as they now are Clemson students and they graduate with a degree from
Clemson University.

AIT also has the collaborative provision that helps students get dual degrees. AIT has a
tie up with San Jose State University (SJSU). They provide opportunities to earn BS &
MS in Software Engineering degrees from SJSU, a one-year paid internship in the Silicon
Valley as well as a chance of permanent residency in Australia.

46
Credit transfer facilities from previous study reduce the number of courses the student
may need to study with the foreign institution to gain a foreign degree. Generally, when
Indian students go abroad for studies, the most common problem that they face is the
credits gained in Indian programmes are not equivalent to the foreign degree ones. Hence
they are forced to take extra courses to gain credits. A foreign institute facilitating credit
transfers in its institution mostly ensures that courses offered in the India are equivalent
to its own courses. But an important aspect that needs to be reflected is whether the
quality of courses are exactly maintained through such long distance arrangements?
Foreign institutions must make physical appearance in the form of faculty visits,
maintaining regular interaction with the students and review their performance from time
to time.

Equivalence of Programmes For Facilitating Credit Transfer

Students of Rajitlal Institute after passing their 3 years of Engineering course can pursue their final
year at University of Wolverhampton (UOW) as full time student in Wolverhampton campus
leading to award of B.Engg. (Bachelor of Engineering) Degree from University of Wolverhampton.
The initial 3 years at Rajitlal Institute can get them Advanced Diploma Credits. Credits get
transferred to the University of Wolverhampton (as per the MoU). University of Wolverhampton
courses offered in India are clones of the university courses, using identical syllabi, titles, numbers,
texts, teaching formats, and evaluation standards as their model on-campus. University of
Wolverhampton sets standards for hiring faculty who teach in the 3+1programmes and monitors
their effectiveness during regular visits and reviews of sample student work.
Source: www.rajitlal.com

3.3.2. Academic Co-operation between Indian and Foreign Partner University

Academic co-operation takes various forms. While foreign partners design course
curriculum and syllabi, implementation is left in the hands of Indian partners. During
implementation, an essential aspect of faculty training is undertaken by foreign partners.
It is very important that the faculty is fully trained to carry out the objective of the
collaborative course. International training of faculty helps in knowledge building of the
institutions. Flying tutors may be also arranged for delivery of the programmes by the
institutions. In some instances, the foreign partner validates courses delivered by Indian
institutions.

The Administrative Staff College of India (ASI), for example, a government managed
institution, has collaborated with John Hopkins University (JHU), USA for the delivery
of MBA and PGDM in Hospital Management. It has arrangements with JHU for faculty
training and curriculum development. A path-breaking partnership is seen between the
ITM, Gurgaon and University of Warwick, UK. The University of Warwick delivers the
first year of Warwick's BEng and MEng degrees in Electronic Engineering and
Electronic & Communication Engineering at ITM, India. The University of Warwick is
responsible for all academic aspects of this collaboration, including selection of faculty,

47
approval of syllabi, assessment, examination arrangements, moderation and
determination of University examination results. ITM assists Warwick in recruitment and
selection of students, in accordance with the criteria set out by the university.
The courses of Pearl Academy of Fashion are validated by several foreign institutions
like Nottingham Trent University (NTU), LDT Nagold, International College of
Professional Photography, London College of Fashion. Textile Institute, UK validates
courses of the Central Footwear Training Institute. For some institutions, academic
cooperation is much more than just quality assurance of degrees. The University of
Cambridge International Examination (CIE) validates courses offered in Maya Academy
of Advanced Cinematics on Advanced Diploma and Professional Diploma in 3D
Animation and Visual Effects. This process involves continual monitoring by which CIE
can ensure that quality standards are maintained, and that students are provided with the
most appropriate forms of assessment. CIE will also quality assure Maya Academy of
Advanced Cinematics academic systems, ensuring that the administration meets the
expected standards of international best practice. Students who meet the programmes’
assessment criteria and pass their awards receive a CIE certificate, printed in Cambridge,
bearing the logos of both Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics and University of
Cambridge International Examination (CIE).

Omayal Achi College of Nursing and The Queen Margaret University College,
Edinburgh has been jointly running 1 Year B.Sc.(Post Basic) in Nursing Studies in India.
The curriculum and syllabi for the course is monitored jointly. The Queen Margaret
University College is responsible for the development and implementation of all
academic quality assurance systems covering evaluation, review and validation. On
successful completion of the program, the students have the option to do a three-month
bridge course in Lothian University Hospitals Trust in Scotland. The bridge course would
enable the candidate to register with the National Nursing and Midwifery Council, United
Kingdom. Since this year, it has been withheld, as UK has stopped registration of Indian
nurses.

The Indian partner may be highly dependent on the foreign partner or the foreign
environment to carry forward the co-operation. The Indian partner may not have a level-
playing field. However, if the co-operation is made more mutual than just dependence
then both partners can have equal deals in it. Like, if the foreign partners have their say in
selection of faculty or approval of syllabi or assessment of students, then the criteria set
forth could be mutually framed and agreed upon by both. Such initiatives could enhance
the level-playing field of both the partners.

48
3.3.3. Corporate Houses Developing Strategic Partnership with Universities in India
and Abroad

It is seen that since the wave of privatization has taken an upsurge in higher education,
corporate houses have been entering the field of education, as it is a very fast growing
profit making venture. To ensure certification of courses and student enrollment, the
corporate houses have to develop strategic partnerships with universities or award
providing institutions. The Modi Apollo International Institute (MAII) was an initiative
brought to India through a joint venture between the K.K. Modi Group and the Apollo
International Inc., USA. The degree programmes imparted in the institute are the
accredited degree programmes of Western International University, USA.

Institute of Hotel Managemen (IHM-A) was created with the combine efforts of the Taj
Hotels Resorts and Palaces and Maulana Azad Educational Trust. The Indian institute is
the result of a tripartite agreement between Indian Hotels Company Limited, Maulana
Azad Educational Trust and University of Huddersfield, UK, with academic validation of
programmes designed and delivered in India.

Golden Regency Institute of Hospitality Management (GRIHM), formed through a

strategic collaboration with Regency Institute of Tafe, Government of South Australia
and the Gujral group of hotels, is accredited to "Regency Institute of TAFE", under Govt
of South Australia, Adelaide. Regency is the largest institute in Australia providing
training and education in a wide range of disciplines, and TAFE is the key government
provider of vocational education and training in Australia. GRIHM is also affiliated to
West Bengal University of Technology, a state university under UGC, Govt. of India for
conducting 3 year BHSM programmes. Affiliation is also provided by Annamalai
University, recognized under UGC, Govt. of India for conducting full time or part time 3
year B.Sc., Hotel Management and Tourism programmes.

Corporate groups may be backing the partnerships in the form of investment but the
execution of partnership is to be carried out by the educational institute, which is a part of
the strategic alliance. It also becomes easier to develop an in-house breed of employees in
this kind of an arrangement. Corporate groups may be getting dual benefits- earning
through alliances and getting their future employees.

49
3.3.4. Multiple Collaboration for Delivery of Single Program

There are certain institutes in India, which have developed multiple collaborations for
delivery of a single program. Multiple collaborations are formed through an MoU. Under
the contract, students may take part in studies abroad. Faculties from collaborating
universities deliver different sections/parts of the programmes. The credit is earned in
respective universities and added to acquire requisite credit for a program. It gives
students experiences of many nations.

The Indian School of Business (ISB), founded on December 20, 1999, by a group of
Fortune 500 entrepreneurs in collaboration with Andhra Pradesh government, has
partnership with London Business School, Wharton Business School and Kellogg School
of Management. The accelerated one-year post-graduate one year PG diploma program in
Management is ISB's specialty. There is an MoU for student exchange programme in
which the Indian School of Business gives the degree and the foreign partner gives credit
for attending the course there.
Tri-Nation Master’s Degree
The L.N.Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research has introduced a tri-
national masters in business administration, affiliated with the Fox School of Business, Philadelphia,
USA and University of Hamamatsu, Japan to enable business executives to pursue a masters degree
in business administration in India, United States and Japan in one year. There is also provision for
faculty exchange.

The programme is divided into three semesters, a four month fall semester in India, six-month
spring semester in Philadelphia and 30-day summer semester in Tokyo. To apply, graduates have to
have a GMAT score of over 600 and a minimum of two years of work experience.

The director of the international MBA programme, William McDonald told The Asian Age,
“Students can have a tri-nation learning experience in the world’s three most important economic
regions, Mumbai, Philadelphia and Tokyo. The curriculum includes a live strategic level consulting
project for a multinational enterprise.” Asian Age, Mumbai; 17th Nov, 2003

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore, one of India’s top business
schools, has partnerships with the world- class business schools like Lancaster University
Management School, UK, Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University,
INSEAD, Singapore and KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Korea. All the
partner educators have tied-up for delivering each of the five modules of an executive
master’s programme. The participants of this program travel to the different countries to
undertake the modules of the program. The program is as Asian as it is European or
North American, offering participants authentically cross-cultural experiences.
Participants who satisfactorily complete all the activities and assignments, including full
attendance at the five modules, receive a Diploma of Completion in International
Program in Practicing Management from INSEAD and also a joint Certificate of

50
Attendance in International Master’s Program in Practicing Management from the
participating learning institutions.

Thus, multiple collaborations are ways of developing synergic efforts in the improvement
of quality of delivery as it is delivered through multiple partners. Courses delivered
through this kind of partnerships are multinational so they help students earn rich
experiences while interacting with faculty of many countries and coping with various
learning environments.

3.3.5. Qualifications Earned Jointly or Dual Qualifications

In joint degree provisions, degrees provided to the students after completion of the
courses are certified jointly by the collaborating partners. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,
recognised by the Government of India, is a leading educational provider in India.
Marshall University is one of the oldest educational institutions in the state of West
Virginia, USA. Marshall University, is one of the Top 100 B-Schools in USA. In
collaboration with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore, Marshall University offers a two
year full time MBA rogramme and the degree is jointly certified by both the institutions.

This kind of a collaboration also takes places where one of the partners does not have a
degree granting authority. Hence, through joint certification, the degree so provided
becomes authenticated. It may also take place between institutions, which specialise in
different fields and through joint degree can introduce a new course that has the interest
of both the specialised fields.

Foreign and Indian institutes also collaborate to provide dual degrees or certifications.
Under dual degrees, the degrees are separately provided by the collaborating institutions.
Amrita School of Management, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, a Deemed University,
and The State University of New York (SUNY) collaborated to provide dual degrees to
students. Students who join M.Sc. in Management Information Systems (MIS) at Amrita
School of management also earn M.S. in Management of IT & IT-Enabled Services
(MITES) offered by SUNY at Buffalo, New York. The two degrees have been jointly
designed by AMRITA University & SUNY at Buffalo and are offered as a single stream
of courses over a period of 18 months.

Features of a Dual Degree Program

International Maritime Institute collaborated with University of Plymouth to provide
dual degree in its B.Sc. Hons courses (Nautical Studies and Marine Engineering.)
The qualification provided by University of Plymonth is endorsed by Edexcel, Uk.
This collaboration has the following features:
1. Provides a path for a foreign certification.
2. Provides a degree from the University of Plymouth.
3. Provides a Diploma viz Higher National Diploma in both Marine Engineering
& Nautical Studies
4. Gives an opportunity to remain at UK for a period of 1 year. Can try for a shore
job in UK.
5. The Graduation provides an opportunity for further study at UK (Post-graduation)
Source: www.imi.edu.in 51
The practices of collaboration lead to both, institutional and student gains. Those
arrangements, where the foreign institutions actively co-operate in the training of faculty,
curriculum development or partially impart courses through flying tutors, they enhance
the potential for improvement in the quality of the Indian institutes. This may enlarge the
capacity of the institutions to deliver quality education. Students gain through such
arrangements because, as the capacities of teachers and the institutions improve, they
have a positive impact on the capacity of the students as well. Whereas, in those
arrangement of collaborations, where the students are simply transferred from Indian to
foreign institutions, students’ benefit are maximised because they get international
exposure. Here, the foreign institutes may not be directly responsible for the
improvement of the quality of Indian institution, but a suitable environment may be
induced for improvement. In order to make their students ready for international
exposure, Indian institutes may upgrade their facilities and improve quality of deliverance
of collaborative programmes.

3.4. Main Features of Delivery of Transnational Programmes in India

Collaborations weave a matrix of global interactions. These interactions have huge

impact on the teaching-learning mechanisms. Globalisation has produced compulsions
for educational institutions to prepare individuals who can work in a competitive
environment. A competitive environment requires an individual to work in a team,
communicate effectively and continuously innovate. In the learning process, therefore,
such changes, as adaption to teamwork and emphasis on communication skills are being
focused upon more than evaluation of students based on Personalized System of
Instructors (PSI). The latter emphasizes on individual accomplishment and success,
whereas the former supports cooperative learning method.

Developing problem solving skills, study habit, learning style, attitude, personality, and
social behaviors are included as part of teaching-learning methods. Institutions are trying
to bring out innovative ways to enhance skills of the students to cope with the
competitive job market. These institutions are no longer relying on pure theory-based
study rather they give opportunities to the students to get hands-on experience in their
curricular activities. The approach is participatory, developing skills of articulation, and
also giving larger field of exposure much more than the classroom teaching. Such
approaches are largely adopted by educational institutions collaborating with foreign
institutions in order to make their curriculum more attractive. Institutions develop
diversified skills as this helps students gain acceptance in the global market. Case studies
throw light on certain features of delivery of transnational programmes in India.

52
3.4.1. Learning Facilities Enabled through the Use of Technology: Training and
Advanced Studies in Management and Communications Ltd., (TASMAC)

TASMAC is a private educational institution, an IT and a management institute and has

campuses at Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai. Since 2001 it has been running three
educational programes, viz; MBA Full-Time, MBA Part-Time and BA(Hons) in Business
Administration in affiliation with the University of Wales, UK. Under their collaborative
partnership, the degree certificates are awarded by the University of Wales, UK; the
courses are also validated 22 by the University of Wales, UK; and the collaborative
partnership has quality assurance of the British Accreditation Council for Independent
Further and Higher Education (BAC). TASMAC is the first institution outside Europe
and the only institution in India to be accredited and recognised by the British
Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education (BAC). TASMAC
is India’s first ISO 9001: 2000 Certified Management Institute. 23 TASMAC has opened
its campus in London and is now delivering programmes in business management.

Their teaching incorporates all the latest developments in business. The focus of the
courses is to enable students to operate in global environments. Visiting tutors from UK
are regularly invited. Students have access to high technology infrastructural facilities,
including a well-stocked library and computer labs with free Internet access. Students
have access to the University of Wales online library with a varied range of online
databases, which are an updated source of knowledge. The campuses are connected to
TASMAC’s Virtual Private Network allowing videoconferencing facility through very
high bandwidth.

Its three campuses at Pune, Bangalore and Kolkata are WiFi enabled, i.e., offer wire-free
Internet access. TASMAC’s goal of WiFi access to the internet is to provide mobility to
the students who, they presume, are going to be the future leaders of organisations. Wifi
access allows the students to remain connected to the internet in classrooms, library,
cafeteria and any other part of the campus. TASMAC’s motive is to stay in pace with
technology and innovation, offering its students state-of-the-art learning facilities at its
campuses.

22
'Validation' is the term used to describe the process by which the University, as the awarding institution, judges that a
programme which is developed and delivered by the institution is of an appropriate quality and standard to lead to its
award. This definition is provided by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in UK. (Source: Defined by
TASMAC in the Field Survey, )
23
ibid

53
3.4.2. Emphasis on Practical and Participatory Approach: International Institute of
Planning and Management (IIPM)

IIPM is a private educational institute headquartered in New Delhi, with branches in

Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad. The institute offers
courses in National Economic Planning and Entrepreneurship at graduation and post-
graduation levels in affiliation with International Management Institute, Belgium. IIPM is
not recognised by the University Grants Commission or AICTE, and, according to the
institute, it has not sought de jure recognition from any statutory body or accrediting
authority. 24
The Institution intends to apply many innovative methods in teaching-learning processes.
The Institute uses a ‘case study method’ along with class lectures to encourage
participation of the students and have a relevant experience in application of theory to
practical situations.’ The average full-time student at graduation level has to attend a
cumulative of more than 1250 contact hours, in addition to projects. The contact hours
include various other sessions apart from classroom lectures, like computer training,
study group session, case-study presentations, class communication, projects, guest
speaker sessions, sports and special interest activities. The Institute facilitates study tours
for its students to give them global exposure. All students of IIPM are sent on a
compulsory trip to foreign countries to study the Global Opportunities and Threat
Analysis programme (GOTA).

Multi-Nation Practical Experience

Under the GOTA program, the graduate level students are sent twice, once in their first
year of studies for 5-6 days to Middle East and South East Asia and second time in their
second year of studies for 12-14 days to Europe/USA/other developed nations of the
world.The GOTA programme involves audiences of IIPM students with the
management of international organisations to get a first hand exposure of how
businesses are run. The cost is borne by the Institute except the visa charges which the
student has to bear. The programme has been designed to give students exposure to
international faculty, organizations and economies.
Source: International Prospectus of International Institute of Planning and Management
(IIPM) 2008-2010/11

3.4.3. Learning made more Accessible and Flexible: Jadavpur University

The parent institution of Jadavpur University was set up by the National Council of
Education, Bengal, in 1906. After India's independence, the institution was converted to a
university under the first Jadavpur University Act in 1955, and recognised by the
University Grants Commission the same year. Jadavpur University has collaborations for
Faculty Exchange and Research with Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, Leeds Metropolitan
University, UK Brunei University, UK, Shastri Indo Canadian Foundation International

24
International Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) International Prospectus, 2008-2010/11

54
Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy. In collaboration with Staffordshire
University, it has launched an MA in Sustainable Development. The Degree is recognised
for further study in the UK and elsewhere.

The program, M.A. in Sustainable Development is accessible via Internet at home or

elsewhere. This allows students to study while working full-time. Frequent online
contacts with module leaders in Staffordshire University enable regular discussions with
staff and fellow students around the world. The year of course completion is flexible; it
can be studied part-time in three years or could be completed by the two-year mode,
involving three months of full-time work on campus at Staffordshire University in the
UK.

The students’ registering in this program may also gets financial support. Tuition fees of
Ten Commonwealth Scholarships, funded by the Commonwealth Scholarship
Commission in the UK, pays all fees for outstanding candidates: seven on the 2-year
mode (of total £8050 fees) and three on the 3-year mode (of total £4500 fees). A small
number of Partnership Scholarships, funded by Staffordshire University, covering 75% of
the tuition fees, is awarded to outstanding candidates on the three-year mode, who each
pay £1125 in fees for the MA.
Scholarship in FEP Program
The Netaji Subhas Institute of Management Sciences has
provision for merit scholarship to attract meritorious
Like the program in Jadavpur University, merit students in their institutes. Those having secured high
scholarships are included as a facility to assure that percentage in qualifying exam are waived of with certain
percatnge of Fees
meritorious students are not deprived of access to
the collaborative programmes. This kind of MBA/MCA BBA Percentge of
(uploading( (uploading( freeship
are arrangement is made even in private institutions. percentage percentage
in graduation)h in 10+2)
The high-charged fees in collaborative programmes >= 75% >= 90% 100%
would otherwise make it unaffordable for many >=70% >= 80% 50 %
>= 65% >= 80% 25%
students. >= 60% >= 75% 12%
Source: Leaflet of Netaji Subhas Institute of Management

3.4.4. Promotion of industry-academia interaction for Skill Orientation: Christ

College

Christ College is a minority Christian institution in its status and is affiliated to Bangalore
University. Christ College has rare distinction to be the first college in Karnataka to be
accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and UGC for
quality education. It was reaccredited with A+ in 2005. UGC identified it as an Institution
with potential for excellence. It is running several collaborative programmes in
affiliation with many foreign institutes like Western Michigan University, USA; Swansea
Univrsity ,U.K; Sheffield Hallam University, UK; Griffith University, Australia; and

55
Liverpool Hope University, UK. It is an autonomous aided institute and offers
collaboration programmes in the field of Business Management, Commerce, Hospitality
Management and Tourism at the levels of graduation and post-graduation.

Christ College and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) in June 2001 with the vision to increase industry-academia
interaction. In pursuance of this understanding, Christ College, has been involved in the
Quality Summit organised by the CII since 2002. It has also been organising joint
workshops at the college premises. Such interactions bring a common comprehensive
platform between the students and the various educational, technical and career
institutions and the industries. CEOs from different sectors interact with students over
"Career Profiling," with aptitude tests for school and college students and stalls by
corporate and educational institutions. Exposure to industries during the study time
promotes career focus among students.

Apart from face-to face interaction between industries
and students, there are other measures adopted
by institutions to expose their students to the
industries and develop their approach
towards their careers. These kind of industry-
academia interactions are in-built within the
collaborative programmes.
Online Interaction with Industry
The Malout Institute of Management & Information
Technology (MIMIT), has signed MOU’s with CISCO
Inc.USA, which provides four semester programme by
online testing, student-performance tracking, and quality
Assurance Plan in the field of networking with the latest
CISCO Routers and Switches. Our Institute also affiliates
with the Sun Micro System USA. Sun Academic Initiative
(SAI) progamme is designed to introduction students to Sun
Technologies and equip them with skills in their chosen
fields of study.
Source: www.mimitmalout.org

3.4.5 Exposure to Industry Training: Institute for Technology and Management

(ITM) Business School

The Institute for Technology and Management was founded with an academic association
with the Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), USA. The curriculum, academic
standards and pedagogy of SNHU formed the basis of ITM's Master’s Program. In the
years since, the Institute has expanded its collaborations to include distinguished
universities across Europe and Asia. ITM has academic partnerships with Southern New
Hampshire University , USA; Queen Margaret University College , Scotland ; Groupe
ESSCA , France; and Tongji University , China.

The ITM group of Business Schools grew from one business school in Mumbai to 7
campuses by the year 2004. The ITM Group of Business Schools is currently conducting
15 programmes in a broad range of fields including Financial Markets, Retail,
Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Risk Management, Human Resources etc. The ITM
Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology was launched in Navi Mumbai,

56
in 2002. The year 2004 saw the launch of the Master’s in Financial Markets, Master’s
Retail Management & Marketing and Master of Actuarial Sciences programmes at ITM
Navi Mumbai. ITM has been chartered as a Private State University under the auspices
of the State of Chhatisgarh. Its campus at Raipur has been established as a Research and
Development Centre.

Both Hospitality and Business Courses cannot be delivered only through class room
interaction and theoretical study. ITM Bangalore makes Industry-interaction a mandatory
requirement in its programmes. Professionals and executives from various industry
sectors have conducted workshops and lectures at ITM Bangalore. It has provisions for
campus placement of its student in various corporate houses as trainees.

In-House Industrial Training

Apart from training students by exposing them
to industries or corporate houses, there are also
examples of educational institutes, which are
equipped to provide in-house industrial
training. These institutes generally belong to the
category of industry managed institutions.
VLCC Institute offers professional courses in beauty, health
and management. It not only provides training to the
students enrolled in VLCC Institute but also provides
trainings and grooming to corporate and business houses.
Customized corporate training modules are designed in
keeping mind the needs of individual organizations. The
students passing out of VLCC, are awarded certificate by
City and Guilds, UK.
Source: http://www.vlccinstitute.com/

3.4.6. Developing Communication and Service Skills: Frankfinn Institute of Air

Hostess Training (FIAT)

Frankfinn Institutes of Air Hostess Training are divisions of Frankfinn Aviation Services
Pvt. Ltd., which is a Private Limited Company registered under the Companies Act,
1956. It is the only institute/academy in India that offers BTEC [HNC] in Aviation,
Hospitality & Travel Management awarded by Edexcel, UK. BTEC (HNC), awarded by
Edexcel, UK, and recognised in over 110 countries including US, UK, Australia and
Canada.

Skill enhancement in communication is now catching up in many institutions. Institutions

providing foreign degrees apply special emphasis on language development. A good
command over English is taken as a primary requirement for those who want to build a
career in the service industry. To enhance the communication skills of its students in the
English language, Frankfinn conducts English classes free of cost using a highly effective
English language program called English Edge in association with BBC Active - a brand
in the domain of English language teaching worldwide. On successfully completing the
full course, the students also get a separate co-branded certificate with BBC active. Apart
from developing communication skills, it also gives good exposure to service industry to
its students. Frankfinn has tied up with InterGlobe Technology Quotient Pvt. Ltd.

57
(ITQPL) [provider of Galileo Computerised Reservation System (CRS)], which is a part
of Inter-Globe Group, so as to give its students exposure to basic CRS course for
Automatic Ticketing that includes issuance of Paper Tickets and Electronic Tickets. The
institute also provides job assistance for 18 months after completion of the course, free of
cost.

Developing Communication Skills in Foreign Language

The Air Hostess Academy(AHA) which runs diploma courses in Aviation and Hospitality
Management has a foreign language course in its curriculum. The students are awarded with
qualifications from University of Cambridge International Examinations, UK.

Source: www.airhostessacademy.com

3.4.7. Developing Leadership and Managerial Skills: Indian Institute of

Management, Bangalore

The Indian Institute of Management established in 1973 in Bangalore is a premiere center

for management education and research. Since the institute is located in India’s high
technology capital, it is therefore a hub for innovative activities. The institute strives to
achieve excellence through partnerships with industry and leading academic institutions,
the world over. 25

The institute offers executive master’s program that is built around five modules, each
focusing on one of the five managerial mindsets and presented in different parts of the
world, Lancaster, Quebec, Singapore, Seoul and India. The mindset approach helps re-
program the way participants think so they gain new insights into the challenges they face
as managers. Participants travel to a different campus for each module and spend time
immersed in the culture of the host country. While there, they go on field studies to local
companies, observe different managerial practices and learn from the divergent insights
and perceptions of fellow participants –especially those from the host country.26 It not
only gives participants new experiences but is also programmed to enhance their
leadership skills. It cannot be called a domestic program with foreign activities, but one
that is truly balanced across different parts of the world and centered in none – so that
each location feels both local and foreign. The course is specially designed for middle
level managers.

Collaborations and tie-ups not only benefit the student community, but also the working
professions. We found quite a few programmes designed in this category, for those who
cannot devote full-time to studies. The courses have been made very flexible keeping in

25
http://www.iimb.ernet.in, accessed on 10.05.08

26
ibid

58
mind the demanding lifestyles of working professionals. Such courses are provided by
private as well as public sector institutes.

In our research study, we found 2 State Universities and a Deemed University tied up
with foreign universities engaging in a common course that is designed for working
professional. The course M.A. in Sustainable Development is delivered by Madras
University, Jadavpur University and Teri University through foreign collaboration.
Likewise, the Naoroji Godrej Centre of Excellence runs a 2 year MSc in Engineering
Business Management in collaboration with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG),
School of Engineering, University of Warwick, UK. The programme is designed for
professionals, technical staff at middle management level, engineers, technicians,
manufacturing supervisors and managers.

It is observed that learning mechanism adopted by most of the programmes leading to

foreign degree is student-centered. As a matter of fact, much attention is laid to
developing diversified skills of the students by providing learning facilities that are
modern and practical. The institutions provide an atmosphere where the learner is able to
develop his capacity to face job challenges. Most of the educational programmes are job-
oriented and the institutions have an in-built facility of placement cell for its students.
This enhances the attraction towards the courses.

3.5. Main Issues Emerging from Collaborations

Collaborations between higher educational institutes are not structured within the limited
boundaries of a particular country. The types of education that emerge from
collaborations transcend cultural, legislative as well as national and continental
boundaries. There are three main aspects; regulation, quality assurance and recognition,
where much debate is still going on in India and will remain forthcoming until the issues
are fully addressed.

• Regulation - This is a pressing issue that can be addressed only through a legal-
legislative framework. There is no legal framework, which could complement the
different foreign educational providers as well as stand by the national
educational systems in India. The legal registration of all foreign education
providers in India will add to many positive outcomes. It still remains as a very
complex issue and cannot be adopted very easily. The fall-out of this situation
may not allow many internationally acclaimed Universities or educational
institutions of repute to expand their education in India and at the same time, it
makes the situation easier for many non-recognised international educational
institutes to operate.

59
 • Quality Assurance- Success in increasing consistency or enhancing services
centers around an effective Quality Management System. The programmes
delivered through collaborative partnership between Indian and foreign
educational institutions should have some form of gurantee of adequate quality
standards. This aspect is important for the student because without quality
assurance, the program shall remain non-conducive for them and might also result
in barring them to the assurance of good job opportunities. Some education
providers are, however, conscious of the consequences and seek forms to
legitimate their courses, sometimes through their own national quality assuring
agency or through alliances with well-established universities. International
accreditation is another possibility for acquiring the label of quality.
• Recognition- The recognition of qualifications awarded through collaborative
partnerships as well as recognition of the awarding bodies is an important aspect
that cannot be sidelined. The matter of recognition is not so straightforward. If the
foreign institutions are recognised in their home countries, that does not assure
that the quality of courses, teaching staff, infrastructure and other requirements
for imparting the collaborating courses by the Indian institutions are identical to
the foreign institutions. Recognition in home country cannot be easily transferred
to the Indian institutions. Foreign education providers as well as Indian education
providers and the courses imparted through collaborations need to be recognised
in their respective countries.

These aspects, if properly addressed, could help in building long-term relationships of

collaborations. They are, in many cases, shelved in the background and institutions stress
on other attractive mechanisms/packages for students to get attracted to the courses
offered through collaborative ventures.

3.6. Conclusion

The above discussion on collaborative arrangements reflects that an atmosphere is

created where opportunities are built. It is very well understood that collaborations are
not just giving and taking of foreign degree; they attach themselves with a process of
interaction of technology, minds, people and materials. It depends on each institution,
both Indian and foreign, on how far the opportunities provided by such collaborations are
utilized and to what extent they are actually practiced as they are put on paper.
Partnerships do not rely on government approval and due to lack of regulations; the
Indian partners are mostly from the private sector. The atmosphere of partnership is not
supported by the government. Hence, collaborations are still limited to many such
institutes which do not have high reputation. There are only a few recognized educational
institutes that have moved into partnership with foreign institutes. Yet, we can say that
collaborations have brought in ample choices for students.

60
Those students who wish to pursue foreign degrees may be able to do so without directly
getting into a foreign University. They may be able to get a foreign degree by simply
registering in one of the Indian institutes. Getting direct admission in a foreign university
may require a lot of formalities. Instead, Indian institutes are bringing ready-made
services of foreign institutes home; also the cost of getting a foreign degree is much
subsidised if earned through Indian institutes. These collaborative programmes are made
attractive through the facilities provided within the programme. The institutes imparting
collaborative programmes ensure that they are taught through modern methods and
innovative ways. Group-presentations, internet accessibility, extra classes for English
language, such inputs in learning give students an extra edge to face the world.
Curriculum is structured to accommodate global learning tools so that the students
experience the richness of contents of study and easily adjust to foreign environments.
Job placements and training facilities make the courses very attractive because they
enhances the market value of the courses and students are absorbed in industries right
after the completion of the courses.

Credit transfers and twinning arrangements help students complete a part of the program
in a foreign country; hence, students get an opportunity to learn in a foreign environment
as well as get the experience of Indian learning, much though it is subject to visa
procurement and other regulations.

61
 Chapter IV
In-Depth Analysis of Collaborating Indian Institutions
Institutional Survey

4.1. Introduction

The previous chapter reviewed the various mechanisms of collaboration based on

secondary information. In this chapter, attention is focused on the information obtained
from the sample results and observations by visiting institutions. It would be interesting
to know for how long the practice of collaboration has been going on among the institutes
and what its nature is.s How many institutes have assured their quality from the Indian
regulatory agencies for delivery of programmes? The Questionnaire format used in the
survey was open-ended. The field-study in a way complements the secondary data-search
of institutional survey in order to develop an in-depth understanding of the collaborative
practices.

4.2. Sample of Institutions

The sample consists of 22 Indian institutions collaborating with foreign partners. They
form 16% of the identified Indian institutions in collaboration. These sample institutions
are from different states across India - Delhi (5), Karnataka (5), Maharashtra (5), Tamil
Nadu (3), Haryana (1), West Bengal (1) and Uttar Pradesh (1).

The collaborating institutes are mostly private ones. There are a few state universities that
have collaborations with foreign universities for the delivery of degree programmes. The
samples that could be drawn from different category of institutions are Non-affiliated
Private Institutions (7), Private Colleges affiliated to Indian Universities (8), State/
Central Govt. managed Institution (1), Autonomous Aided Institution (1), Deemed
University (1) and Others (4).

4.3. Institutions Engaged in Delivery of Transnational Programmes

Foreign institutes are providing educational services through affiliations with Indian
institutes. There are different categories of Indian institutes that are collaborating with
foreign institutes. It is interesting to know the percentage distribution of programmes by
each type of Indian institutes. There is a total of 71 programmes in the sample, and the
distribution by institution type is as shown in Table 4.3.1.

62
 Table: 4.3.1
Type of Indian Institute Delivering Transnational Programmes

Institution Type Programmes

N %
Non-affiliated Private Institution 34 48
State/ Central Govt. Managed Institutions 7 10
Autonomous Aided Institution 5 7
Deemed University 2 3
Private College/institutes affiliated to Indian University 12 17
Any Other 12 17
Total 71 100

Out of a table of 71 programmes, 34 (48%) are being delivered through non-affiliated

private institutes, run by trusts, registered societies or those established under company’s
act. In India, any educational institution established under the Trust or the Societies Act
cannot earn profits as per law of the land. Asia Pacific Institute of Information
Technology, registered under society’s act, partners with Staffordshire University, UK
for the delivery of B.Sc engineering degrees in computing, software and multimedia.
TASMAC, established under company’s act, is offering management degree programmes
in partnership with University of Wales, UK. R.M. Institute, established through this
trust, deliverss Hotel Management programmes in affiliation with Thames Valley
University, UK. These private institutions offer both degrees and diplomas by tying up
with foreign universities and foreign colleges.

12 (17%) of these programmes are being delivered through private colleges/institutes

affiliated to Indian universities, such as Open University or State University for delivery
of programmes, providing students degrees of the respective Indian universities. Omayal
Achi College of Nursing is affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University
(State Medical University) and offers under-graduate degree in Nursing in affiliation to
Queen Margaret University, UK. Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management
Development & Research is affiliated to Mumbai University (a State University) and is
offering M.Sc degrees (Finance and Bioinformatics) in partnership with Lancaster
University Management School, UK under a twinning arrangement. Both Presidency
College of Hotel Management and Empee Institute of Hotel Management & Catering
Technology are affiliated with Open University and are offering under-graduate diploma
programmes in hospitality management through a private foreign institute (American
Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), USA). The former is affiliated with Indira
Gandhi National Open University (Opsen University) and the latter with Tamil Nadu
Open University. Netaji Subhash Institute of Management Sciences (NIMS) is affiliated
to a State University, Guru Jambeshwar University of Science & Technology and with a

63
State Technical University, Punjab Technical University. For its MBA programme, it has
tied up with Purdue University, USA.

7 (10%) programmes are delivered through State/Central government managed

institutions, 5(7%) programmes through autonomous aided institutes and 2 (3%)
programmes through Deemed University. Footwear Design and Development Institute,
which is a state-government managed institute, has been offering post-graduate and
under-graduate diploma programmes in fashion, retail management and footwear
technology courses through joint provision with Melbourne College of Textile.
Autonomous aided institutes like Christ College has affiliation with Bangalore University
and are offering BBA programmes through four different foreign Universities (Western
Michigan University, USA, Swansea University, UK, Griffith University, UK and
Liverpool Hope University). Dr. D.Y.Patil Institute for Biotechnology and
Bioinformatics is an institute under D Y Patil University. It is a deemed university
offering B.Sc programmes through the University of Central Lancashire, UK.

12 (17%) programmes are offered by ‘any other’ category of institutes. The Muchhala
Polytechnic is a non-private institute affiliated to Maharashtra Board of Technical
Education, and is offering Twin Diploma in Hospitality and Catering Operation in
affiliation with American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), USA. Frankfinn
Institute of Air Hostess Training is a part of the private company engaged in providing
certificate courses in aviation and travel. The Canadian Institute for International Studies
is a private study centre of a foreign University (Thomson Rivers University, Canada)
and two foreign colleges (Georgia College, Canada and AYR College, UK) offering
degree and diploma programmes in engineering and technology.

These institutes generally offer single foreign degree programmes. 61 programmes are
offered in this mode and only 1 dual award provision was found under Presidency
College of Hotel Management, Bangalore. Some have not mentioned their type of the
award.

Sample information confirms that most of the programmes are delivered through private
institutions. At present, there are two categories of private players in India, which are
collaborating with foreign institutions. The most prominent category is that of private
institutions not affiliated to any Indian university. There are also private colleges, which
may be recognised and affiliated to any Indian university. They collaborate with foreign
partners in a particular program delivery, partly or fully.
Low participation of public institutions may be attributed to two factors - first, the
delivery of transnational programmes may involve high investment. Public
universities/government institutes in India are largely dependent on funds from the
government. Higher education in these institutions is highly subsidized and they cannot

64
levy heavy fees on the students. These institutions may not be in a position to make high
investments and charge high fees. Secondly, all the degree programmes offered by public
institutes in India are recognized. Public institutes would only like to collaborate in many
areas of academic cooperation such as student and faculty exchanges, in research of
mutual interest and design of curricula etc. At present, due to lack of any regulations,
such collaborations having a provision to award foreign degrees has not been attracting
public institutions. However, there is a demand by students for foreign education.
Students explore the option to earn a foreign degree by simply getting enrolled in such
institutions that have collaborated with foreign institutes. Most of such institutions are
private ones.

4.4 Students’ Enrolled At Different Levels of Transnational Study Programmes

There has been no study so far to estimate the number of Indian students enrolled in
Indian institutions, delivering programmes in collaboration with foreign
universities/institutes. There is also no estimate of the level of transnational study
programmes in which students are enrolled. Through the sample information we can try
to understand the sample results with respect to the number of students enrolled at
different levels of education. An attempt is also made to estimate their scale of operations
at all India level.

26(37%) institutes are offering PG degree courses and 22(31%) UG degree courses, with
2487 students enrolled in PG degree courses and 1414 students enrolled in UG degree
courses. 495 students’ enrolled in UG Diploma courses 322 students enrolled in PG
diploma courses and 25 in certificate courses. (See Table 4.4.1.)
Table 4.4.1.
Enrolment of Students’ At Different Levels of Transnational Study Programmes
Level of Collaborative Courses Programmes Students’
N % N %
UG Degree courses 22 31 1414 29
PG Degree courses 26 37 2487 52
UG Diploma courses 8 11 495 10
PG Diploma courses 8 11 322 7
Certificate courses 1 1 25 1
Others 6 8 71 1
Total 71 100 4814 100

It is interesting to note that foreign collaborations facilitate the study programmes more at
the degree level. It may be noted that 52% of the students are enrolled for the PG
programmes and 29% of the students are enrolled in UG degree programmes. Diploma
programmes provide more of training for skill development and do not help students gain

65
high theoretical knowledge in their respective fields of study. A total of 17% students are
in UG diploma and PG diploma courses.

The above results are based on the samples that have been collected. Out of 143
institutions, there are only 22 in our sample. It is quite possible that in the web-based
searches, 50% of the institutions have been left out. Thus, we scale up the sample number
by a scale of 8 for the minimum in the range and 12 for the maximum in the range. On
this basis, it may be projected that, at present, there are a minimum of 40,000 students
and a maximum of 60,000 students enrolled in such a programme. Looking at the size of
Indian higher education, the scale of operation in enrolment terms is roughly 0.5% of
total enrolment in India. However, the potentials of increasing the scale is many times the
present scale, provided, as we said earlier, the regulatory restriction is removed, and of
course, the public institutions in a phased manner begin to participate.

4.5. Fees Charged in Collaborative Programmes

It would also be of great interest to understand the level of fees charged in the institutions
offering transnational programmes. It would also give some idea about the scale of
financial operations in such programmes. From the sample results, it may be observed
that most of the programmes cost between Rs 1-2 lakh(41%), and 34% of the
programmes cost less than Rs.1 lakh. Only 4% are charging fees more than Rs 3 lakh
(See Table 4.5.1).
Table 4.5.1
Fee Charged by Institutions

Programmes Fee Charges (per Annum) Number of %

Programmes
Institutions charging fees less than 1 lakh 24 34
Institutions charging fees between 1 lakh- below 2 lakh 29 41
Institutions charging fees between 2 lakhs to 3 lakhs 9 13
Institutions charging fees more than 3 lakhs 3 4
Fees not Mentioned 6 8
Total 71 100

75% of the programmes are less than Rs. 2 lakh. If 40000 students are studying in
transnational programmes and an average of Rs 1.25 lakh is charged per student then
scale of financial operation is about Rs. 5 billion and roughly is equivalent to 5% of the
total public expenditure on higher education in India. Thus in terms of enrolment the
scale of operation may seem miniscule, in terms of finance the scale of operation is not
too small.

66
If we compare the fees structure of the collaborating institutes with the reputed
institutions in India, we observe that there is parity in fee structure. In fact, many private
professional colleges in medical, dental, engineering and IT are reported to charge much
higher fees and if we include the capitation, though not legal, under management quota,
then fees under collaborative programmes may seem to be a small fraction only. For
example, professional institutes like IIM are currently charging Rs 4 lakh per annum and
by the academic year 2008-09 will cost Rs 6-7 lakh per annum.

However, the parity disappears as soon as the comparison is made with public or
government aided institutions, which are highly subsidized. The public universities in
India charge, on an average, just 10% of the total expenditure and have remained the
same for decades. Students studying in any central/state university in India, on an
average, does not pay more than a few hundred rupees per annum.

The collaborating Indian institutes charge additional fees to students who get enrolled in
their partner foreign institutes. Most of these institutes offer professional courses,
therefore, the charge of fees in professional education are much higher than general
education. Some of the institutes also make other additional investments like bringing
home flying tutors or sending students abroad for training.

4.6. Mode of Course Delivery

Sample results of 22 institutions shows 67 programmes are being offered in the face-to-
face 27 mode (See Table 4.6.1). Among the face–to-face programmes, 41 are offered as
full-time study programmes, 9 part-time programmes, and 17 of both full-time and part-
time mode. Most of the programmes offered in part-time mode are diploma courses,
although a few degree courses are being also offered. M.S. Ramiah Institute offers study
programmes in both full-time and part-time modes. Thus, we note that there is a lot of
flexibility in the modes of course delivery. Flexibility adds various options to the students
and their choice set is wide open amongst which they can choose a particular option.

Other modes of delivery are online or distance programmes. Modern Institute of

Management delivers BBA part-time program of American International University of
Management Technology, USA, through distance mode, where study materials of the
foreign institute are delivered to students registered in the Indian institute via post. The
Academy of Business Management offers MBA programmes of KIUST, USA, online.
Both the institutes are study centres of their respective foreign institutes.

27
The learner is in the presence of the instructor. Classroom teaching is the most common mode of face-to-
face learning.

67
 Table 4.6.1
Type of Programmes Delivered By Institutions
Type Face to Face Full Time Part Time Full Time Online/Distance
Programmes Programmes Programmes and Part Programmes
Time
Programmes
N 67 41 9 17 2

Information was also gathered from the institutions on some other characteristics of the
program delivery by the institutions, such as on the availability of flying tutors and
offshore campus training. Only 2 institutions deliver programmes by means of flying
tutor and 3 institutes have the provision of offshore campus training. TASMAC, whose
programmes are validated by University of Wales does not its students abroad, rather
they bring home tutors from its partner institute, University of Wales. Omyal Achi
College of Nursing, that has twinning arrangements with Queen Margaret University,
also has the arrangement of flying tutors. Students get to interact with the foreign faculty.
Besides, the foreign faculty also takes the responsibility of course monitoring and
frequently interacts with the Indian faculty. (See Table 4.6.2).

Table 4.6.2
Mode of Course Delivery Followed by Institutions

Mode Flying Tutor Offshore Campus Training

Yes 2 3
No 17 16
Not 3 3
Mentioned

In the mode of course delivery, FEPs are partially providing support to the collaborating
institutions in India. The responsibility of the course delivery in most cases, however,
rests with the Indian institutions

4.7. Participation of FEPs in Indian Partner Institutes

When there is a joint provision of programmes, the academic cooperation is on the basis
of divided responsibility. Participation of foreign partner institutes is mostly sought in the
development of course structure, while the responsibility of delivering the courses and
selecting students are generally left to the Indian partner institutes. The kind of
arrangement may vary from institute to institute, depending upon the terms of agreement.
However, sometimes the responsibility may be shared by both the partners. (See Table
4.7.1).

68
 In matters of course designing and course validation, foreign institutions are taking the
sole responsibility. On the other hand, in course delivery, scrutiny of applications and
examination arrangement, it is the Indian partner, who takes maximum responsibility. In
the case of curriculum design, 9 institutions responded that curriculum is the
responsibility of the foreign partner whereas 2 institutions responded that they are
themselves responsible for curriculum designing; 5 institutions responded that both the
partner institutions are responsible for curriculum design.

In the case of course validation, 12 institutions responded that course validation is the
responsibility of the foreign partner whereas only 1 Indian institution is found to validate
the program at its own level in India. 5 institutions responded that it is the joint
responsibility.

There are 12 institutions which solely deliver the programmes in India, whereas only 1
institution has arrangement for the course to be delivered solely by the foreign partner.
There are also 5 institutions that facilitate in delivering programme both by Indian and
foreign faculty.

The applicants’ scrutiny is solely exercised by 10 Indian institutions, 1 foreign institution

is responsible for scrutiny of the applicants and 5 Indian institutions are doing so in joint
consultation with their foreign partner. Similarly, in the case of examination arrangement,
there are 9 institutions which make examination arrangement on their own in India,
whereas 3 institutions are doing examination arrangement through their foreign partners.
3 other institutions are also making joint arrangement of examination with their foreign
partners.

Table 4.7.1.
Nature of arrangement of Joint Provision

Type of Curriculum Course Course Delivery Scrutiny of Examination

Provision Designed Validation Applicants Arrangement
Mode F I Both F I Both F I Both F I Both F I Both
Number of 9 2 5 12 1 5 1 12 5 1 10 5 3 9 3
Institutions
F= Foreign I=Indian

Institutes not just bring home the foreign degree but they also depend on the goodwill of
the foreign institutes for shouldering responsibility of development, monitoring and
delivery of programmes. Even the selection of students is done by the foreign partner
institutes, in case of a few institutions.

69
4.8. Nature of Collaboration for Delivery of Programmes

Sample results are presented to know the nature of collaborations practiced by

institutions. Out of 71 programmes, maximum programmes are delivered under the
franchisee (22) arrangement while other programmes are delivered through twinning
arrangement (14), study center (10) and branch campus (8) (See, table 4.8.1).

Table 4.8.1
Type of Collaboration in Program Delivery

Nature of collaborations Number of %

programmes
Franchisee 22 31
Twining Arrangement 14 20
Study Centre 18 25
Any Other 8 11
Not Available 9 13
Total 71 100

Twinning arrangements vary from institute to institute, depending upon the time required
for programme completion and agreements set forth by the institutions. Dr. D.Y.Patil
Institute for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics has 2+1 system, the major portion of the
programmes is delivered in India and the rest of the programme is delivered in the
foreign country. Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research
has 1 month + 11 month arrangement for its M.Sc programme, a small part is delivered in
India and the major portion of the programme is taught abroad. Netaji Subhash Institute
of Management Sciences has 1+1 arrangement for its MBA program, which means that
equal amount of time, is taken by each of the partner institutes in India and abroad for
program delivery.

Another aspect of the nature of collaboration is to understand whether it is a single

collaboration or a multiple one. From the sample result, we note that institutes are
exploring avenues for building up partnership with more than one institute. They have
been tying up with different foreign institutes from different countries or with different
foreign institutes from the same country. The programmes emerging from the partnership
could be of the same type or of different types. Christ College has affiliation with
Universities from both USA and UK for the delivery of BBA programme. The Footwear
Design and Development Institute has affiliation with one university of Australia and
another UK University for its 7 different programmes. Institutes with just a single
collaboration may deliver more than 1 program. Out of 22 institutes, 12 are offering more
than one collaborative programmes, 5 institutes have more than one affiliation whereas
17 others have just one affiliation. (See Table 4.8.2).

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 Table 4.8.2
Status of Institutional Collaboration

Status of Collaboration Number of

Institutions
Institutions offering only one collaborative program 10
Institutions offering more than one collaborative program 12
Institutions having one foreign collaboration 17
Institutions having more than one foreign collaboration 5
Number of collaboration with foreign universities for less than 31
5 yrs
Number of Collaborations with foreign universities for equal 24
to or more than 5 yrs

Among the total number of collaborations, 31 collaborations are for less than 5 years.
Among these, there are around 5 institutes whose collaborations are of recent origin. 24
collaborations are 5 or more than 5 years, and out of these two institutions have
collaborations of more than 10 years old. No collaboration was found to have been
existing before the 1990’s. Most of the collaborations have emerged in the years after
2000.
The sustainability of partnerships depends on many factors. An important factor is the
quality assurance.

4.9. Status of Quality Assurance

In the course of the study, it have been observed that there are some institutions, which
are recognized/accredited by the Government or Government agencies. Out of 22
institutions, 11 are recognized by the government of India and 10 are unrecognized.
These institutes are recognized through UGC, State University, State Government or
other Government Bodies. In our sample, 15 institution out of 22 confirmed that they
have some quality assurance or the other, not necessarily from NAAC or NBA. (See
Table 4.9.1).

Table 4.9.1
Accreditation of Indian Institutions

Status of Accredition
Indian Institution Accredited by Government of India 11
Indian Institution not Accredited by Government of India 10
Not Available 1
Institutions having quality assurance of the programmes 15
Institutions not having quality assurance of the programmes 7

71
Out of a total of 22 institutions, 16 Indian institutions reported that they are aware of the
quality assurance arrangements of FEPs in their home countries, while 10 institutions
reported that they are not even aware of the quality assurance of their foreign partner in
their home countries. Among the foreign partner Universities, as disclosed by the Indian
institutes, Lancaster University Management School, UK has EQUIS accreditation,
which is a transnational European accreditation agency. Marshall University, Thames
Valley University and University of Wales have accreditation from ISO. Some foreign
partner institutions may have accreditation in their home countries while some may not
have it at all.

Table 4.9.2
Quality Assurance Provision for Foreign Partner Institutes

Quality Assurance of Foreign Institute

In their Home Country
Available Not Total
available
Number of 16 10 22
Indian
Institutes
Aware

4.10. Provision for Students’

Market forces purely guide the institution’s policy of entry of students. Only 4 institutes
admitted that they have the provision of reservation and 8 institutions admitted that
scholarships are available for socially disadvantaged students (See Table 4.10.1).

Table 4.10.1
Provisions for Disadvantaged

Provisions for Disadvantaged Number of

Institutions
Reservation Followed for Students’ Admission 4
Reservation not Followed for Students’ Admission 15
Availability of scholarships for students’ from 8
disadvantaged social groups
Non-Availability of scholarships for students’ from 13
disadvantaged social groups

Thus, very few Indian institutes are found to have a policy for the inclusion of socially
and economically deprived students. However, the institutes provide certain incentives to
the students like placement for students.

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All the sample institutions were asked to give information on the top five placements and
their salaries. (See Table 4.10.2.). Students got placement in Indian companies, MNC in
India and in foreign companies abroad. It is observed that only 5 students placed in
Indian company could fetch a job of more than 3 lakh, 7 students placed in MNC were
offered job of more than 3 lakhs, and 8 students placed in foreign company abroad were
offered job of more than 3 lakhs. Thus, the top five placements seem to give a rosy
picture about placement; however, nothing much can be said about the placement of
students in general.

Table 4.10.2
Placements of Students’

Students’ Placed in Indian Students’ Placed in MNC Students’ Placed in

Company Foreign Company
Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered Offered less
More than Between Less More Between Less than More than 3 lakhs
3 lakhs 2-3 lakhs than 2 than 3 2-3 2 lakhs than 3
lakhs lakhs lakhs lakhs
5 4 9 7 2 0 8 0

Among the Indian Companies, Kool Homes have offered annual salary as high as11 lakh,
Tata Motors have offered annual package of 5.7 lakh and United Health Group offered a
5.5 lakh annual package. Among the MNCs, Ariscent Softwares have offered 6.2 lakh
annual pay, Samsung India has given package of 5.5 lakh, General Motors have annual
salary of 4.8 lakh. Only one institute had the top five placements from foreign companies
offering in the bracket of $ 12,000.
4.11. Conclusion
From the above discussions, it follows that the collaborative programmes are mostly
offered as specialised programmes at the under-graduate and post-graduate degree levels.
For certain institutions, the programmes are designed by the foreign partners. The
delivery of those programmes are carried out by the Indian partners but institutions which
have the provision for joint delivery of courses definitely have a good level of
participation from the foreign partners. These institutions are trying to develop
equivalence in the delivery of Indian programmes with the foreign courses by developing
co-operation with foreign faculty.

The private institutions are overall dominating the scene of collaboration and there is
very low participation of public institutes. If we make a comparison of collaborative
programmes delivered by government aided/managed educational institutes and those
delivered by private institutes, then the former has only 7 programmes in collaboration
and the latter has 46 programmes. The ratio for collaboration of programmes is 1:7.
Among the private institutes, there are institutions that are otherwise affiliated to public

73
universities of India but may also be affiliated to foreign institute for certain study
programmes.

The dynamics of collaboration are interlacing institutes across countries as well as a

variety of institutes. Both public and private institutes are developing partnerships where
the private institutes benefit by getting their degrees recognised and the public institutes
are able to provide their students opportunities for better interactions with industries. The
collaborating institutes also provide a vibrant link between higher education and job
markets. It is understood that not all Indian students can travel abroad for studies due to
financial, personal or other reasons. The FEPs could be a viable option for those who
cannot travel abroad for financial, personal or other reasons.

The importance of quality in transnational study programmes, however, should not be

sacrificed to market temptations. There are quite a few institutions whose quality
assurance aspect has been totally ignored and they neither have Indian government
recognition nor any other accreditation bodies endorsing their programmes. The quality
assurance aspect should be the foremost criteria of judgment both for foreign and Indian
institutes, who are venturing into partnerships. These aspects have a potential impact on
students.

74
 Chapter V
Perceptions on Institutions and Courses
Students’ Survey

5.1. Introduction

Internationalisation of higher education has not only developed options for institutions
but the change may have also affected the student community. As the institutions are
exploring various modes of engaging with foreign institutions, students are getting a
wider opening to earn a foreign degree. It would be interesting to learn that the
educational and economic background and perceptions of those who earn the foreign
degree, in regard to kind of courses that are preferred, understand their various choices
and preferences, modes of course delivery encountered by them and also learn about their
levels of satisfaction as well as dissatisfactions towards the institutions and delivery
mechanisms of collaborative programmes. The Questionnaire format used in the survey
had both, structured questions and open-ended ones. The results of the survey are as
presented below.

5.2. Sample Size

A sample of 155 students was drawn from 25 institutions located in cities of Delhi, Noida
(U.P.), Gurgaon (Haryana), Mumbai (Maharastra), Bangalore (Karnataka), and Chennai
(Tamil Nadu). Students were randomly selected from the different institutions. From the
total sample, 31% were from Bangalore, 28% from Delhi, 17% from Mumbai, 12% from
Chennai, 6% from Noida and 5% from Gurgaon.

5.3. Students’ Profile: Gender, Age and Education

It is interesting to understand the profile of students who are pursuing the programmes
delivered by institutions in collaboration with foreign universities. 72% of the students in
the sample were male and 28% were female. From the sample, a majority of the students
(54%) were in the age group of 17-20 years. 37% of the students were between 21 and 24
years. 8% of the students were above 24 years. Age composition shows that students
seeking courses provided by foreign universities were mostly the fresh graduates from 12
years of schooling in India. This is confirmed by the results obtained (See Table 5.3.1). It
should be noted that 61% of the students had joined the coursess with higher secondary
qualification, 33% students in the sample were graduates with three years of college
education seeking to join foreign universities.

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 Table 5.3.1
Educational Background of the Students’

Qualification Completed Prior N %

to Taking FEP Courses
Secondary 1 1
Higher Secondary 94 61
Graduation 51 33
Post Graduate 5 3
PG Diploma 1 1
Diploma 3 2
Total 155 100

Traditionally, Indian students who used to go abroad for studies preferred to get into
highly specialized courses leading to post-graduation and doctoral programmes. So,
majority of the students were undergraduates having already completed the 3 years of
college education. However, with the foreign universities collaborating with private
institutions in India, a new clientele has emerged. This new clientele is the youth in the
age group of 18-21 years with a minimum educational qualification of senior secondary
schooling. A surge in demand for foreign universities operating in India among 18-21
year age group students is a new phenomenon worth understanding.

5.4. Socio-Economic Background of the Students

In addition to the emergence of a new demographic profile of students demanding foreign

universities’ degree, it is important to know their socio-economic background. The
hypothesis here is that only those students with very rich family backgrounds and high
social statuses seek foreign degrees. The assumption is that the degree from foreign
universities is expensive and hence, it is not affordable for students with poor family
background and lower social statuses. The following picture emerges with respect to the
economic and social background of the students.

Economic Background of Students: The economic backgrounds of the family of the

students provide a mixed picture. 18 % of the students belong to families whose income
is less than Rs. 2 lakhs. It shows that a small proportion of students from a low-income
family is pursuing studies provided by foreign education providers. This does not,
however, mean that students from only very rich economic background participate in the
education provided by foreign universities. (See table 5.4.1). 32% of the students
belonged to those families whose annual income ranges between Rupees 2 lakhs-4 lakhs
and 28% belonged to those families whose annual income ranges between Rupees 4
lakhs-6 lakhs. Though it is difficult to define the middle income range of the family, we

76
can say that, for a large group of town and city dwellers the family with an income range
of Rupees 2 lakh-4 lakh may be characterized as lower middle class and families with an
income range of Rupees 4 lakh -6 lakh may be characterised as higher middle class.

Thus, it is important to note that a new clientele of students seeking foreign universities
degree in India belong to the middle class. We can see 60% of the students from middle-
income families, 32% from lower income families and 28% from higher income families,
among the sample of students demanding foreign universities’ degrees.

The study further found that only 21% of the students belong to those families whose per
annum income 28 is more than Rupees 6 lakh. These students are from high-income
groups. A larger proportion of students’ are, therefore, not from high-income groups.
Thus, what we can conclude is that though students from lower income groups of
families may not find it very affordable to pursue courses provided by foreign
universities in India, it is also not all students from higher income family alone who are
pursuing such courses. A major chunk of students are from middle-income families.

Table 5.4.1
Financial Background of Students’

Family Annual Income N %

Less than Rs. 2 lakhs 28 18
2 Lakhs to 4 Lakhs 50 32
4 Lakhs to 6 Lakhs 44 28
More than 6 Lakhs 33 21
Total 155 100

Social Category of Students’

In modern societies, incomes and related occupations are usually thought of as the main
determinant of status. In India, caste is an important determinant of status differentiation.
Social status too has an influence on preference of the kind of education. In the data
collected so far, it was found that students belonging to the general category (upper caste)
had opted for FEP Courses. 78% belonged to this category. 15% of the students belonged
to OBC category. The representation of SC and ST is very low and only 4% of the
students belong to SC category and 3% belong to ST category (See Table 5.4.2). An

28 There are 54 million urban households in India and they are categorised into different income classes. In 2003-04,

the mean household income of various classes in the urban areas has been estimated- lower income class at Rs 38,551,
lower middle at Rs 98,082, middle income at Rs 1,71,253, upper middle at Rs 2,52,143, Upper income at Rs 5, 26, 329.
This data is drawn from a study by National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).
http://www.indiatogether.org/2005

77
indomitable reason for such a low representation of SC &ST category may be attributed
to the fact that most of FEP courses do not observe reservation policies.

Table 5.4.2
Social Category of Students’

Category N %
General 121 78
SC 6 4
ST 5 3
OBC 23 15
Total 155 100

It can be concluded that students belonging to upper caste and middle-income families
are the clientele of the foreign education programmes. Low income and lower caste
families can not afford to enroll in the educational programmes. The assumption that
students from only high income families enroll in the programmes provided by foreign
universities seems misplaced. It is certainly important to know the rationale for the entry
of middle income group families into foreign universities.

5.5. Level, Duration and Fees of the Courses Pursued

As observed earlier, most of courses offered by Indian Institutions collaborating with

foreign institutes are at the undergraduate level. It may not, as such, be very surprising to
find that most of the students participating are undertaking FEP courses at the under-
graduate level. (See Table 5.5.1.).

Most of the students pursuing FEP programmes are doing so at the under-graduate level
(61%), including UG degree (39%) and UG diploma ( 22%). Students’ pursuing FEP
programme at PG degree courses is 28% and PG Diploma is 8%.

Table 5.5.1
Opting of FEP at the Level of study

Course Level N %
UG Degree 61 39
PG Degree 43 28
UG Diploma 34 22
PG Diploma 13 8
Any Other 4 3
Total 155 100

As observed above, the new clientele is from among the middle class families. It was also
noted that the previous education background of most students being senior secondary

78
certificate, this means that most of the students admitted in such institutions are pursuing
the undergraduate courses. This is very well confirmed, as 61% of the students are
pursuing the course at the undergraduate level. The preference of the students for
undergraduate courses shows that students from middle class families are in search of
short-term job-oriented courses so that they can advance quickly into the world of work.

The demand for short-term courses is amply tested by the information conveyed. (See
Table 5.5.2). 44% of the students are pursuing courses that are of the duration of 3 years,
25% are doing courses that are of 2 years length and 14% are doing 1 year courses. 16%
of the students are enrolled in courses of the duration of 4 years and above. Over all, the
trend is that 39% are in a great hurry to compensate for the cost they have incurred in two
or less than two years studies. However, the maximum percentage of students pursue 3
year courses, which probably optimises the net returns from the investment in human
capital. The picture becomes very clear when we analyse the information on fees and try
to understand the economics of students’ cost of education in relation to the return from
investment. (See Table 5.5.3).

Table 5.5.2
Course Duration

Program duration (in Rs.) N %

6 months 1 1
1 year 22 14
2 year 39 25
3 year 68 44
4 year and above 25 16
Total 155 100

Nearly 39% are pursuing courses that are in the range of the fees between Rs. 50,000 and
1 lakh, 14% are pursuing courses with fees below Rs. 50,000, 32% are in the range of 1
lakh and 2 lakh fees and 12% are pursuing courses that are in the range of Rs.2-3 lakh.

Table 5.5.3
Fee Range

Fee per annum N %

(in Rs.)
Less than 50000 21 14
50000 – 100000 60 39
100000 – 150000 24 15
150000 – 200000 26 17
200000 – 300000 19 12
Above 300000 3 2
Not available 2 1
Total 155 100

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Students’ information on fees of courses pursued by them is important to analyse in
relation to the income of the students’ family. Maximum number of students are pursuing
courses whose family income is in the range of Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh. 39% of the
students are paying in the range of 50,000 to 1 lakh and another 32% are paying between
1 lakh to 2 lakh. It means that the annual fees consist of roughly half or one-third of the
income of the families. Naturally, fees cannot be afforded out of the current income of
the family. In most cases, it is unaffordable out of current income. Unless the expected
return on investment in education is high, no family is expected to invest in high cost
education. The students therefore calculate the alternatives to foreign providers
education. If students are not able to compete in a high quality institution, they have the
option to study in a low-cost low-quality institution. Students, however, prefer to study in
high cost high quality institution. This is the rationale for admission in the institutions in
collaboration with foreign universities.

However, the mode of financing of education is important to understand, as, it has been
observed that, fees charged are difficult to be financed out of the current incomes.

5.6 Financing of FEP Programmes

In general, it is the family, which bears educational expenses of students, but in many
cases now-a-days students opt for other sources of finances when either the family cannot
afford the cost or the student may not want to burden the family with expenses. The
internationalisation trend has led to a high increase in fees and it has forced students to
look for other options available to fulfill the fees charged in private institutions.

The information gathered shows that the families of 79% of the students give full
financial support the students opting for FEP programmes. Around 13% receive partial
financial support from their families and around 8% do not get any financial support from
the families. 5% have opted to take 100% loans from banks to finance their courses.
Around 10 % get somewhat financed by banks. There are some students whose
educational expenses are borne by their employer either fully(1%) or partially( 1%) (See
Table 5.6.1). Students are thus not relying on a single source to finance their
programmes. Still, majority of the students rely on their families, either fully or partially
(92%), which leaves 8% totally non-dependent on familial sources. However, most of the
students do not rely on market for financing of the cost of education.

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 Table 5.6.1
Financial Support for the Course

Course Fee Funded Fully Funded Partially Nil Funded Total

by Funded
N % N % N % N %
Family/Parents 123 79 20 13 12 8 155 100
Bank Loan 8 5 16 10 131 85 155 100
Employer 1 1 2 1 152 98 155 100
Others 2 1 2 1 151 97 155 100

In the Indian social structure, families are protective of their children. They put a high
premium on their education. As a result, families are ready to sacrifice income of the
family for education of their children.

5.7. Mode of Course Delivery

The internationalisation of higher education has led to innovation of various teaching-

learning mechanisms to fulfill the versatility of course delivery. The patterns and
structures of the courses are sometimes guided by foreign university standard. Hence, for
course delivery, the institution may arrange foreign faculty. The trend for part-time
classroom lecture is also made available by institutions in order to make the courses more
explicit for students who cannot devote full time to classroom teaching. Online teaching
may enable contact with the foreign instructors easily. Students may also have the
opportunity to interact with the foreign faculty in the foreign country. In case of twinning
arrangements, certain parts of the courses are delivered in the foreign country.

Students have declared various modes of delivery of their courses. Institutions may have
a single mode or mixed mode (See Table 5.7.1.). 139 students started full-time class-
room lecture as a mode of course delivery, 31 students mentioned use of online course
delivery, 28 students note part-time classroom lecture, 88 recorded visiting faculty and
43 noted delivery made by foreign faculty.

Table 5.7.1
Mode of Course Delivery Applied by the Institutions

Mode of Course delivery N

Online 31
Full time classroom 139
Part time classroom 28
Visiting faculty 88
Visiting foreign faculty 43
Visiting offshore country for coursework 6

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The students were asked to acknowledge if they were satisfied by the mode of course
delivery adopted by their institution. 89% declared that they were satisfied and 10%
declared that they were not. (See Table 5.7.2)

Table 5.7.2
Satisfaction in terms of Learning Out comes of Mode of Course Delivery

Satisfaction Status N %
Yes 138 89
No 16 10
Not Provided 1 1
Total 155 100

5.8: Motivation for Opting of FEP Courses

Students may have to contemplate on various incentives that motivated them to choose
the courses provided by FEPs. The study set out some motivational options and asked the
participants to rank their preferences, to find which has been the most motivating factor
that persuaded them to take up courses provided by FEPs (See Table 5.8.1).

Analysing their preferences, 56% of the students marked their personal interest as the
most motivating factor; followed by 17% of the students taking up such courses to get an
opportunity to earn a foreign degree. In case of the second preference, 29% seem to have
been motivated by the fact that FEP courses widen placement opportunities for them.
Again 25% of the students marked opportunity to earn a foreign degree as their second
preference. While in reference to third choice, around 16% of the students marked that
the desire to earn higher education status/foreign tag had motivated them to opt for FEP
courses. 14% students mentioned that it provided an opportunity to migrate abroad.
Boredom with regular courses and relevant curriculum recommended by others were not
very striking factors for choosing FEP courses. Very few students have ranked these
factors in their preferences. The three most important motivating factors seem to be
personal interest, an opportunity to earn a foreign degree and placement opportunities for
FEP courses.

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 Table 5.8.1
Students’ Motivation for Opting FEP Course

Type of Motivation Ranking

Ist % IInd % IIIrd %
Personal Interest 87 56 18 12 12 8
Opportunity to earn Foreign Degree 26 17 39 25 15 10
Course widens Placements opportunities 12 8 45 29 39 25
Boredom with regular courses 3 2 18 12 12 8
Earn higher educational status/ foreign tag 11 7 18 12 25 16
Relevant curricula/course design 5 3 4 3 12 8
Easy medium to migrate abroad 9 6 1 1 22 14
Recommended by others 2 1 1 1 9 6
No Preference 0 0 11 7 9 6
Total 155 100 155 100 155 100

The students were also asked to compare their options for FEP courses in relation to
courses offered in Indian universities. Students were asked to rank their preferences. If
we take the first preference, 28% said that Indian universities and colleges did not offer
such courses, so they opted for courses offered by FEPs, another 28% felt that the present
course would give them greater recognition than the courses under Indian universities and
colleges and 21% marked that they took FEP courses because they did not get the
admission of their choice in Indian universities. If we consider their second ranking, then
again, 25% felt that present course would give greater recognition than the courses under
Indian universities. In reference to their third preference, 26% felt that Indian universities
and colleges did not offer courses with job orientation and the present course would fetch
them a job.
Table 5.8.2.
Preference for the foreign degree course in Relation to a course offered in Indian
Universities.

Ranking
Reasons for Preference
Ist % IInd % IIIrd %
Did not get admission in Indian universities
and colleges of your choice 32 21 15 10 10 6

Felt that Indian universities and colleges do

not offer such courses 44 28 13 8 14 9
Felt that the present course will give greater
recognition than the course under Indian 44 28 38 25 27 17
universities and colleges
Felt that Indian universities and colleges do
23 15 31 20 40 26
not offer course with job orientation and the

83
present course will fetch you a job
Felt that teaching learning process in Indian
institutions are boring in relation to the
teaching learning process followed in 10 6 28 18 29 19
present course
No Preference 2 1 30 19 35 23
Total 155 100 155 100 155 100

The trend shows that students are looking for immediate benefits. Therefore, an
opportunity to earn a foreign degree becomes an important motivating factor for joining
FEP courses. Also, students are guided by practical options. Hence, placement
opportunities are also ranked as an important motivating factor. This generation of
students is more focused; they trust their own sense of judgments; therefore, their own
personal interests matter to them more than any recommendation from others.

5.9. Awareness about FEP Programmes

It is not motivation alone that persuades a person to make choices. It is also awareness of
the choice that is important to carry it forward. (See Table 5.9.1). 79 of them came to
know about the courses through family and friends, 61 students through advertisements
in the papers or on the radio and 52 students through the internet.

Table 5.9.1.
Medium of Awareness of FEP Program

Medium of awareness N
Advertisements in Paper/Radio 61
Educational Fairs 12
Internet Surfing 52
Family/ Friends 79
Through Institutions, name it 11
Any other medium 6

5.10. Identification of Providers of Foreign Degrees and Their Recognition Status

It was important to learn from them if they were aware of the process by which they
would earn the foreign degree. The students were asked to identify the mode by which
they would earn the foreign degree. 23% revealed that they would get foreign degree
through twinning arrangements, 71% said that they would earn foreign degree in India
through the institution that they were registered in and 6% marked a combination of
twinning arrangements and foreign degrees in India (See Table 5.10.1.).

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 Table 5.10.1.
Mode of Earning Foreign Degree

Mode N %
Twinning Arrangement 35 23
Foreign Degree in India 110 71
Twining Arrangement and 10 6
Foreign Degree in India (Both)
Total 155 100

As many as 77% of the students noted that they would acquire a single foreign degree;
21% identified that they would get joint degree of Indian and foreign University and only
2% noted that they would get dual degree, i.e., a separate degree from Indian and foreign
universities.
Table 5.10.2
Source of Foreign Degree
Source of Foreign Degree N %
Foreign Degree (Single Foreign Degree) 120 77
Indian and Foreign Degree Combined (Joint Degree) 32 21
Indian and Foreign University Separate (Dual 3 2
Degree)
Total 155 100

The participants were also questions if they were aware of the system of recognition of
their course in the domestic framework like approval from AICTE/ UGC. 43% answered
that they were not aware of such a course recognition system and 54% affirmed their
awareness about the domestic framework of regulation (See Table 5.10.3).

Table 5.10.3.
Awareness of Domestic Frame work Regulation

Awareness N %
Yes 83 54
No 66 43
Not Provided 6 4
Total 155 100

Quite evidently, most students are aware of the mode of getting their degree, but many of
them still remain unaware or may not bother enough to find out whether the degree
providers are actually approved/ recognised by the Indian regulatory agencies. Students
are influenced by opportunities to earn a foreign degree or to get a job. They do not give
much significance to the recognition status, though most of the students do take into

85
account these intricacies. They are aware of the domestic regulatory framework.
Ignorance of students with respect to regulations may not be beneficial because while
facing interviews for placement, they may be asked about the credibility of their courses.

5.11. Placement Opportunities

It has been observed that most of the institutions provide placement opportunities. It
would be interesting to learn how many students got the opportunity to face campus
interviews. The survey found that only 29% of the participants had the opportunity to
face campus interviews and 72% had never faced any campus interview (See Table
5.11.1). This high percentage could be because of the fact that institutions generally give
opportunities to their final year students for campus selection and this study had not
categorically selected students from the final year of their studies. It used data bank of
students studying between the first and final years of study. Among the 29% who had the
opportunity for giving campus interviews, 13% were selected in Indian companies, 5% in
MNCs, only 1% in a foreign country and 15% of them did not get selected at all.

Table 5.11.1
Placement Opportunities

Placement Opportunity Acquired/Not Acquired N %

Selected in Indian company 20 13
Selected in MNC 7 5
Selected in Company Abroad 1 1
Not selected 15 10
Not given any interview 112 72
Total 155 100

Only 15% remarked (See Table 5.11.2) that while facing job interview they were asked
about the course credibility on the ground that their courses did not comply with the
domestic regulatory framework. 72% answered in the negative about any such
apprehension by employers. Therefore, we may note that among the 29% of the students
who faced interview, 15% had to face questions on the credibility of the courses.

Table 5.11.2
Credibility of the course Questioned by the Employer on the Ground of non-
recognition from Indian authorities

Credibility of the N %
Course Questioned
Yes 24 15
No 112 72
Not Provided 19 12
Total 155 100

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Students were also asked to answer if their institutions had provisions for placement
Abroad. To this, 50% declared that no such provision was available while 48% declared
that their institutions had not have such a provision (See Table 5.11.3.)

Table 5.11.3
Institution Provision for Placement in Abroad

Provision for N %
Placement Abroad
Yes 78 50
No 74 48
Not Provided 3 2
Total 155 100

5.12. Students’ Assessment

The students were asked to assess their institution and their overall delivery mechanism
of the course and rate their perception in terms of their satisfaction. 43% rated that they
were satisfied on an average, 40 % declared high satisfaction, 13% declared very high
satisfaction and only 2% each rated their satisfaction as low and very low respectively
(See Table 5.12.1).
Table 5.12.1
Satisfaction Level

Satisfaction Level N %
Very Low 3 2
Low 3 2
Average 67 43
High 62 40
Very High 20 13
Total 155 100
The ratings may show that students who take FEP courses are getting outcomes as per
their desires on an average, from the courses as well as from their institutions, which
impart the courses. Yet, we cannot say that they were all fully satisfied. During the
survey, students also remarked on the difficulties they encountered. Most of the
comments related to teacher, teaching technique and facilities provided by the
institutions. They were concerned about –
• Poor time management by teachers
• Irregularity of visiting faculty
• Poor teaching techniques
• Inability to cope with foreign syllabi
• Lack of adequate facilities
• High fees charged by institutions and no quality education in return

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The students gave suggestions on how the difficulties could be overcome. A summary of
their suggestions is as mentioned below-

• Teachers should pay proper attention and there should be provisions for more
interactive classes.
• Institutions should consider means to improve their permanent teaching staff and
visiting faculties.
• Institution should pay attention to the teaching-learning techniques and make
room for improvement.
• Syllabi should allow more focus on Indian education(like courses in business
economy should focus more on Indian economy)
• Fees should be charged appropriately.
• Institutions should improve facilities and give the students more exposure.

Conclusion

From the representative sample of students, we find that the FEP courses have been able
to attract a large proportion of students from the middle- income families. If we assess
the general behaviour of this category, we shall find that the middle-income groups are
likely to invest in education of children that would help in fetching good jobs and
maintain social status. This mind-set is also somewhat carried by the youths who belong
to such families and therefore in the discussions above, we found that students are highly
motivated by the interests to earn foreign degrees and by the fact that the FEP courses
would viably widen placement opportunities. They are also highly motivated to pursue
such courses because it could give them greater recognition than the courses under Indian
universities and colleges as job-oriented courses are not being generally offered by Indian
universities and colleges. Personal interests also motivate the students on a large scale
and this may be somewhat guided by an urge to get better job opportunities.

The student and their families are most probably foreseeing better opportunities and
hence do not shy away from paying high fees. The sample study shows that students are
pursuing courses with annual fees of roughly half or one-third of the income of their
families. Though students are not relying on a single source for financing their
programme still, families remain a major source for meeting the cost of education. The
strength of encouragement to pursue such courses is still largely drawn from family, who
not only invests but is also a major source of making the students aware of such courses.

We had discussed in the previous chapter that quality assurance and recognition aspects
are important criteria but students are not judging the institutions by these criteria. A
large number of students are not aware of domestic regulatory frameworks. We can say

88
that what they expect from the institutions is probably to get positive returns from their
investment in education, like giving them good placement opportunities or quality
education of international standards. The student’s assessment of satisfaction from the
FEP courses is largely based on teaching and learning facilities. They are more concerned
with the better equipment in learning centers and improvement in quality of course
delivery. The FEP courses are largely meant to have the potential for international quality
of course delivery as they do have support from foreign universities but how far this
potentiality is or could be utilised depend on several other local factors.

89
 Chapter VI

Conclusion

The higher-education in India is witnessing significant changes owing to globalisation

and market-forces. Collaboration with Foreign Education Providers is, in part, an
outcome of these interactive forces. It is likely that, in future, traditional student mobility
might be eclipsed by study programme mobility as more transnational programmes are
offered. It is becoming relatively easier to move courses rather than students. However,
the initial cost of developing such programmes may be high. But once the programme is
developed the marginal cost of expanding programmes is low. 29 Currently, the delivery
of transnational study programmes varies in terms of geographical area, academic sector
and types of institutions. Its coverage is not uniform. A trend has developed where a part
of the programme is covered at host institutions and another part is carried out at the
home institutions through twinning and link programmes. This facilitates student
mobility. This kind of arrangement is evident in many institutions.

The study has compiled a database of institutions that collaborate with foreign
universities and institutions. Based on a sample study of institutions, it has analysed the
aspects of transnational education in India. To conclude, the study has arrived at the
following observations-

1. UK and USA as the leading FEP’s in India - Universities and institutions based in
UK and USA are in maximum partnership with Indian institutions. There are both public
and private universities/institutions. Other potential FEP’s are, of course Australia and
Canada, as quite a few of them already exist.

2. Varied Mix of FEP’s: Among the foreign education providers there is a varied mix of
institutions. Some of them are general public colleges, professional public colleges and
government aided further education centers in addition to the universities. The private
universities, colleges and training institutes and private international vocational providers
are also prominent among the foreign education providers.

3. Majority of Indian Partners are Private Institutions Offering Professional

Courses- Majority private institutions in India are collaborating with foreign institutions.

29
Stephan Adam, Transnational education project. Report and recomendations, 2001, http://www.unige.ch/

90
They are non-affiliated private institutions, private sector institutions affiliated to Indian
Universities and private companies. These institutions are mostly offer vocational job-
oriented high demand programmes of study. The maximum number of collaborations is
in the field of management and business studies, engineering and technology courses,
computer application, information technology, hotel management, house keeping, fashion
designing and other applied arts courses. There is very low preference and participation
by public institutions in India. The practice of collaboration is highly market driven.

4. Participation of FEPs with minimum stakes: Since twinning arrangements are the
preferred mode of collaboration, FEP’s need not invest much. High investment is
required in opening branch campuses and this are found to be lacking in India. Moreover,
participation of FEPs is mostly in the area of course designing and validation and only a
few foreign partners are involved in course delivery or examination arrangements. Most
of the FEPs do not invest much in these areas of collaboration. The additional expenses
related to flying tutors are met by the host institutions.

5. Recognition of institutions may not be in compliance with Indian regulation but

their courses may be validated through foreign partner: On the basis of available
information, it is observed that only 36% (52) of the total collaborating Indian institutions
(143) have quality assurance from accreditation agencies and some have accreditation
from the Indian regulatory bodies. In the sample study of institutional survey, it has been
found that 11 out of 22 institutions have recognition from Indian bodies such as UGC,
NAAC or other government bodies. There are also quite a few private institutes, which
are recognized by these Indian regulatory bodies, but the programmes delivered through
collaborations with foreign institutions are not recognized. Foreign accreditation agencies
may, however, accredit the courses. The foreign partners may also validate the
programmes and thereby the issue of equivalence and recognition is settled at the
institutional level.

6. No-evidence of branch campus- The Foreign Education Providers in India are solely
operating through the mobility of programmes. The study has not found any full-fledged
branch campus of any foreign university. There are lots of legal implications attached to
it. Unless regulation is in place, foreign universities will only bring their programmes to
India and not their institutions. The draft bill on foreign education providers has the
provision to promote branch campuses if the reputed institutions are willing to open
theirs’. A branch campus involves investment on a large scale by the home country
institution and the host country benefits from this investment.

7. Emergence of new providers: The emergence of other new providers of educational

services, such as corporate houses is evident. These providers are tying up with
universities of India and abroad to provide a wide range of vocational courses.

91
8. Collaborative courses are student-centered and encourage skill- development:
Collaborative courses provide students with learning experiences and an exposure to two
or more countries and cultures through twinning and credit transfer facility. They have
introduced innovative teaching and learning practices, curricula and the methods of
evaluation. Institutions are encouraging students to develop skills and practical
knowledge for the job-market. A majority of courses are being offered in high demand
disciplines like Business Management & Administration and Engineering & Computer
Technology.

9. Collaborative courses are not being offered at a high-end of knowledge or for

research degrees: Collaborations are mostly taking place among the private institutions,
which offer professional programmes for study. Most of the collaborative programmes
end at an under-graduate or post-graduate level. A majority of the programmes are in the
field of management and IT. These programmes have been launched with a view to equip
students for the job market. They are not in the high-end knowledge area. The low
participation of public universities in India indicates that collaborative programmes are
not engaged in research or high-end knowledge.

10. Collaborations develop professionalism: The need for a higher degree of

professionalism has necessitated the preparation of individuals for a global market
through education and training. This appears to have prompted some institutions to seek
recognition for their professional programmes from international accreditation bodies.
Collaborative courses provide opportunities to students and working professionals of tri-
nation or multi-nation work-related experience and learning, thereby facilitating
professional mobility. Institutions are trying to serve different sections of the education
market. They are targeting individuals who are already employed or professionally
engaged looking for flexible education either to enhance their existing knowledge and
skills or to develop new ones.

11. Emergence of a new middle class clientele to pursue foreign degrees: Before the
1990s, students used to go abroad to earn a foreign degree. Most of the students had
already been graduates and their aim was to acquire higher qualification, usually research
degrees. They invariably belonged to higher income groups. Foreign collaborations have
brought in a new clientele. The new clientele is youth in the age group of 18-21 years
with a minimum educational qualification of senior secondary schooling. They are mostly
from middle-income families, undertaking courses at the undergraduate level. This is
evident from the economic background of the families of students. The students are
prepared to pay higher fees with the expectation of future returns.

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12. No spectacular growth of collaboration: The study does not find any spectacular
growth in foreign collaborations. A study was conducted by NIEPA in 2004 on FEPs in
India. The NIEPA study found 131 Indian institutes collaborating with foreign
universities. This study was able to gather information on 143 institutions. Hence, there is
not much of a change over the past 4 years. It is, however, quite likely that the number of
programmes delivered in collaboration has increased considerably. Yet, no structural
change is visible in the programmes.

Reflections on Collaborative Arrangements

The study has analysed two-interrelated perspectives on collaborations - the first relates
to the mechanisms and arrangements of collaboration and the second to the nature of
programmes delivered through collaborations. The pattern of provisions varies
considerably between institutions. Collaborations with Foreign Education Providers are
established, by and large, by programme mobility, which could also serve the purpose of
student mobility. Multiple collaborations are in operation; many Indian institutes are
building up partnerships with more than one institute, belonging to different countries or
the same country. The same kind of response has been observed among the Foreign
Education Providers, which may tie up with more than one Indian institution. There is
also openness for partnerships between public and private institutions, but the propensity
for participation is seen more among private institutions.

The assessment of institutional activities, however, suggests that there are strong market-
oriented goals attached to the whole process of collaboration. It has been observed that
the under-graduate level vocational programmes are offered maximum and placement
provisions are evident in collaborative courses. Even from the students’ perception, we
can infer that they are highly motivated by placement opportunities and the opportunity
to earn a foreign degree. Collaborative programmes also create opportunities for
academic co-operation with foreign partners in the form of course validation, curriculum
designing, faculty training and course delivery and this might help in raising institutional
capacity. Collaborations may enormously benefit Indian institutions in developing
institutional capacity when such tie-ups are made with reputed foreign institutions. Much
of the activity is now carried out in the non-university sectors.

There is continuity in the trend of collaborations with Foreign Education Providers, but it
is difficult to predict changes or the pace of growth. The nature and pattern of growth
depends on the continued internationalisation of education and the responses of national
bodies to it. Recognition and accreditation are important to collaborations with Foreign
Education Providers. It is also important to ensure a balance between accountability and
autonomy of institutions. Internationalisation of higher education requires significant
policy attention but it should avoid any devaluation of education, rather emphasis on the
aspect of sustainability.

93
 References
REPORTS/ DOCUMENTS/BOOKS

Adam Stephen (2001) Transnational Education Project: Report And Recommendations,

Confederation of European Union Rectors’ Conferences, http://www.unige.ch/

Bhusan, Sudhansu (2005) Foreign Education Providers in India, NUEPA, New Delhi.

Christ College (2007) Prospectus, Bangalore

Council of Europe/UNESCO (2000) Code of Good Practice in the Provision of

Transnational Education, Council of Europe, http://www.unige.ch/

IIPM (2008) International Prospectus of International Institute of Planning and

Management (IIPM) 2008-2010/11

Machado dos Santos, S.( 2000) Introduction to the Theme of Transnational Education.

McBurnie, G. and Christopher, Z. (2007) Transnational Education: Issues and Trends in

Offshore Higher Education. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, London & New York

NIEPA (2004) Foreign Education Providers (Issues and Concerns)-Directory, New Delhi.

Powar, K.B. (2005) Dubious overseas education providers. www.hindu.com/edu/

WEBSITES:

www.goldenregency.net
www.rajitlal.com
www.imi.edu.in
www.google.com
www.en.wikipedia.org
www.vlccinstitute.com
www.airhostessacademy.com
www.iimb.ernet.in

94
 APPENDICES

Appendix A
List of Foreign Collaborating Universities/Institutions
Legal No. of
No. Name of the Foreign University/Institution Country Basis Collaborations
1. Aachen University of Technology (RWTH) Germany Public 1
2. Aalborg University (AU) Denmark Public 1
3. Aberdeen Business School UK Public 1
4. American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH & LA) USA Private 28
5. American International University of Management and Technology (AIUMT) USA Private 1
Not
6. Amsterdam Fashion Institute Netherland Available 1
7. Assumption University Thailand Public 1
8. Avril Rowlands Television Training School UK Private 1
9. AYR College of Scotland UK Public 1
10. Birmingham Institute of Arts & Design UK Public 1
11. Carnegie Mellon University USA Private 1
12. Centennial College Canada Public 2
13. CISCO Networking Academy USA Private 1
14. City & Guilds UK Private 4
15. Clemson University (CU) USA Public 1
16. College of Tourism & Hotel Management Cyprus Private 1
17. Conservatoire National Des Arts Et Metiers – International Institute of Management (CNAM-IIM) Italy Public 1
18. Cornell University USA Private 1
19. Coventry University UK Public 1
20. Cranfield University UK Public 1
21. De Mont Fort University UK Public 2
22. Deakin University (DeU) Australia Public 2
23. Department of Further Education, Government of South Australia Australia Public 1
24. Desautels Faculty of Management Canada Public 1
25. Domus Academy Italy Private 1
26. Dublin Institute of Technology Ireland Public 1
27. Dudley College UK Public 1
28. Dundalk Institute of Technology Ireland Public 1
29. Eastern Michigan University (EMU) USA Public 1
30. Edexcel International UK Private 2
31. Eindhoven University of Technology Germany Public 1
Not
32. ENSAIT, France France Available 1
33. ESCPAU-France France Private 1
34. Fachhochschule Ingolstadt Germany Public 1
35. Fox School of Business and Management (FSBM) USA Public 1
36. Gannon University USA Public 1
37. George Brown College Canada Public 1
38. Georgia State University USA Public 1
39. Georgian College Canada Private 1
40. Girne American University (GAU) Cyprus Not 1

95
 Available
41. Gladzor University of Armenia (GUA) USA Public 1
Not
42. Glasgow College of Nautical Studies UK Available 1
43. Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University USA Private 1
44. Griffith College Ireland Private 1
45. Griffith University Australia Public 1
46. Heriot-Watt University UK Public 1
47. Hogskolan Boras (University College of Boras , Sweden ) Swedan Public 1
48. HTMi School of International Hotel and Tourism Management Switzerland Private 1
49. IATA Trainig and Development Institute Canada Private 1
50. Illinois Institute of Technology USA Private 1
51. INSEAD Singapore Private 1
52. International American University USA Private 1
53. International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), USA Private 1
54. International Association of Trichologists (I.A.T) Australia Private 1
55. International College of Professional Photography Australia Public 1
56. International Hotel Management Institute (IMI) Switzerland Private 1
57. International Management Institute (IMI) Belgium Private 1
58. International University of the Health Sciences (IUHS) West Indies Public 1
59. Istituto superiore di design Italy Private 1
60. James Cook University Australia Public 1
61. John Hopkins University USA Private 1
62. KDI School of Public Policy and Management Korea Other 1
63. Kensington University USA Private 1
64. King’s International University of Science and Technology (KIUST) USA Public 1
65. Kingston University UK Public 1
66. Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) UK Private 2
Not
67. LDT Nagold Germany Available 2
68. Leeds University Business School UK Public 1
69. Liverpool Hope University UK Other 1
70. London College of Fashion UK Public 1
71. London School of Economics UK Public 1
72. London South Bank University (LSBU) UK Public 1
73. Maharishi University of Management USA Private 1
74. Marshall University USA Public 1
75. McMaster University Canada Public 1
76. Melbourne College of Textile Australia Public 1
77. Michigan Technology University USA Public 1
78. Mohawk College Canada Other 1
79. Napier University UK Public 3
80. NASD International UK Private 1
81. National Film & Television School UK Private 1
82. Niagara on the Lake Culinary School Canada Public 1
83. North Dakota State University (NDSU) USA Public 2
84. Nottingham Trent University (NTU) UK Public 4
85. Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano (NABA) Italy Private 1
86. Open International University for Complementary Medicines, (Medicina Alternativa) USA Public 1
87. Oregon State University USA Public 1
88. Oxford Brookes University UK Public 1
89. Purdue University USA Public 1

96
90. Queen Margaret University UK Public 2
91. Queen Margaret University College (QMUC) UK Public 3
92. Queensland University of Technology Australia Public 1
93. Raffles University Singapore Private 1
94. Red Hat USA Private 1
95. Regency Institute of TAFE Australia Public 2
96. Rotterdam Business School Netherland Public 1
97. Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) UK Other 2
98. Royal Halloway University of London UK Public 1
99. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology(RMIT) Australia Public 1
100. Ryerson University Canada Public 1
101. Saint Mary's University (SMU) Canada Public 1
102. San Jose State University (SJSU) USA Public 1
103. Schiller International University (SIU) USA Private 3
104. Schiller International University UK Private 1
105. Sheffield Hallam University UK Public 1
106. SIAM University Thailand Private 1
107. Skyline College UAE Private 1
Not
108. South Tyneside College UK Available 1
109. Southern New Hampshire University USA Private 1
110. Southfield College UK Private 1
111. SSTH Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality Switzerland Private 2
112. Staffordshire University UK Public 3
113. State University of New York USA Public 1
114. Sun Micro System USA Private 1
115. Swansea University UK Public 1
116. Swiss Business School (SBS) Switzerland Private 1
117. Swiss Foundation for Technical Assistance Switzerland Private 1
118. TAFE Queensland Australia Public 1
119. Tarleton State University (TSU) USA Public 1
120. Textile Institute UK Private 1
121. Thames Valley University UK Public 3
122. The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) USA Public 1
123. The Hotel School The Hague Netherland Other 1
124. The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) USA Private 1
125. The South bank Institute of TAFE Australia Private 1
126. The State University of New York (SUNY) USA Public 1
127. Thompson Rivers University Canada Public 1
Not
128. Troy State University (TSU) USA Available 1
129. Universidade Catolica Portuguesa Portugal Other 1
130. University of Abertay Dundee UK Public 2
131. University of Antwerp Belgium Private 1
132. University of Arts , London ( London College of Fashion) UK Public 1
133. University of Bradford UK Public 2
134. University of Cambridge International Examinations UK Public 2
135. University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) UK Public 2
136. University of Dallas USA Private 1
137. University of Delaware USA Private 1
138. University of East London UK Public 1
139. University of Huddersfield UK Public 1

97
 South
140. University of Johannesburg Africa Public 1
141. University of Leeds (UOL) UK Public 4
142. University of Lincoln UK Public 1
143. University of London (UOL) UK Public 3
144. University of Northern Alabama (UNA) USA Public 1
145. University of Northumbria UK Public 1
146. University of Philadelphia USA Private 1
147. University of Plymouth (UoP) UK Public 1
148. University of Reading UK Public 1
149. University of South Australia Australia Public 1
150. University of Texas USA Public 1
151. University of Ulster UK Public 1
152. University of Wales (UOW) UK Public 4
153. University of Warwick UK Private 1
154. University of Wolverhampton (UOW) UK Public 1
155. Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology USA Private 1
Not
156. Waltham Forest College UK Available 1
157. Wayne State University (WSU) USA Public 1
158. Western International University USA Private 1
159. Western Michigan Univversity USA Public 3
Not
160. Wigan and Leigh UK Available 1
161. Yale University USA Private 2
230

Public/ Private- In general terms, a public institution is predominantly funded by public means through a national or
subnational government and private institution is run without the control of any government entity.

98
 Appendix B

Format followed in Data Collection from Secondary Sources

1. Name, address and Contact Details of

Indian Institute

2. Name, address and Contact Details of

foreign Institute

3. Type of Indian institute

4. Legal basis of Indian Institute
(constitution)
5. Recognition by Govt. of India.
6. Total No of Collaborative Program on
Offer
7. No. of Collaborative Prog. Recognized
by Govt. of India
8. No. of Collaborative Prog. Not
Recognized by Govt. of India.
9. Legal basis of Foreign Institute
(constitution)
10. Quality Assurance of Indian Institute
11. Name of Quality Assurance Agency of
Indian Institute
12. Quality Assurance of Foreign Institute
13. Name of Quality Assurance Agency of
Foreign Institute
14. Quality Assurance of Program Offered
by Indian Institute
15. QA of Foreign Institution for Cross
Border delivery of collaborative Program
16. Name of Cross Border Quality
Assurance Agency of Foreign Institute
17. Collaborative programme on offer,
duration (in year/months) & annual fees per
annum
18. Final award of collaborative
programme
19. Level of program
20. Year from which collaboration
established
21. Student Intake (per year)
22. Mode of Course Delivery

99
23. Nature of collaboration
24. Admission Criteria
25. Reservation provision
26. Placement Provision
27. Special Features of Institute
28. Special Features of Collaborative
Programme

Indicators of the Format

1. Name, address and Contact Details of Indian Institute

2. Name, address and Contact Details of foreign Institute
3. Type of Indian institute:
1. Central or State Universities
2. Private Sector universities
3. Deemed universities
4. Private sector institution/college affiliated to State or other university
5. State/government managed Institution
6. Private non-affiliated institute/college
7. Private companies and any other institutions
8. Autonomous aided college/institute.
9. Any Other
4. Legal basis of Indian Institute (constitution)
1. Trust
2. Societies Act.
3. Company Act
4. State/Central legislation
5. Industry Managed Organisation
6. Not avilable
5. Recognition by Govt. of India.
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not Available
6. Total No of Collaborative Program on Offer
7. No. of Collaborative Program Recognized by Govt. of India.
8. No. of Collaborative Programmes Not Recognized by Govt. of India.
9. Legal basis of Foreign Institute (constitution)
1. Public
2. Private
3. Other (Please Specify)
4. Not Available
10. Quality Assurance of Indian Institute
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not Available
11. Name of Quality Assurance Agency of Indian Institute
1. NAAC
2. ISO
3. Any Other (Please Specify)
12. Quality Assurance of Foreign Institute
1. Yes
2. No

100
 3. Not Available
13. Name of Quality Assurance Agency of Foreign Institute
1. Please Specify
14. Quality Assurance of Program Offered by Indian Institute.
1. AICTE
2. MCI
3. BCI
4. DCI
5. COA
6. NBA
7. ICAR
8. PCI
9. Other
10. Not Any
15. QA of Foreign Institution for Cross Border delivery of collaborative Program.
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not Available
16. Name of Cross Border Quality Assurance Agency of Foreign Institute.
17. Collaborative programme on offer & duration (in months)
1. Please Specify
2. Please Specify
3. Please Specify
18. Final award of collaborative programme
19. Level of program
1. UGD-UG Degree
2. PGD- PG Degree
3. UGDI- UG diploma
4. PGDI- PG diploma
5. CER- certificate
6. RESE- PhD/MPhil (Research)
7. AO- Any Other
20. Year from which collaboration established
21. Student Intake (per year)
22. Mode of Course Delivery
1. Face-to-Face-Full Time
2. Face-to-Face-Part Time
3. FL-Flying Tutor-Foreign Faculty
4. DM-Distance Mode
5. OCD-Online Course Delivery
6. SE-Student Exchange
7. Faculty Exchange
8. CT- Credit Transfer
23. Nature of collaboration
1. FM- Franchisee Mode (Where the whole, part or discrete modules of a course
which is validated for delivery at the University is delivered by academic staff
not employed by the University at premises not owned by the University)
2. JP – Joint Provision (QA by foreign institute and delivery of program jointly)
3. FD- Foreign Degree (Award of degree by foreign partner)
4. TA-Twining Arrangement
5. JD- Joint Degree (Joint certification of the Award)
6. DA-Dual Award (Two awards both by foreign and Indian partner)
7. BC – Branch Campus of Foreign Institute
8. STE – Student/Teacher Exchange

101
 9. DOE – Distance/Online Education
10. AO- Any Other.
24. Admission Criteria
1. Entrance Test
2. Interview/GD
3. Performance in Qualifying Exam
4. Through Application
25. Reservation provision
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not Available
26. Placement Provision
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not Available

102
 APPENDIX C
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR INSTITUTIONS
UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) Research Study
“Foreign Education Providers in India”

Please note that: “The British Council may use the information you have provided, to gain an improved
understanding of Indian education system and improve services in the future.

The British Council will not sell or otherwise disclose these details to third parties for commercial
purposes. The details furnished, however, might be made available on a website. British Council will
treat all personal details in accordance with UK legislations and its own privacy policy”.

INFORMATION SHEET OF THE INSTITUTION

1. Name and Address of the Indian Institution Delivering Collaborative Programme:

2. Type of Indian Institution : (Tick the appropriate option)

1. Central University 2. Non-affiliated Private Institution
3. State University 4. State/ Central Govt. Managed
Institutions
5. Private University 6. Autonomous Aided Institution
7. Deemed University 8. Branch Campus of Foreign Institution
9. Private College affiliated to 10. Other (Please Specify)
Indian University

3. Name the Affiliating Indian University of the Institute:

4. Ongoing Collaborative Program(s):
(a).
S.No. Name of Duration Level of Program A- A- Fees Number of
the (in (UG- Full- Face- (Rs. Per Students’
Program months) Diploma/PG- time to- Annum) Enrolled
Diploma/ Face Current
UG-Degree/ PG- B- Year Total
Degree/ Part- B-
Certificate/Other) time Online
1

103
3

(b).

Collaborating Name of Year of Collaborative Type of Type In case of

Program Collaborating Commencing program has Foreign of twining
(As referred in University Collaboration the Quality Affiliation Award write the
4.a above) Assurance (Please mark (1. number of
Certification the number Single; years
(Write Yes or only in the 2. Dual; taught in
No; if yes relevant box.) 3. India and
write the 1. Franchisee Joint) no. of
name of QA 2. Twinning (Please years
agency) Arrangem mark taught in
ent the foreign
3. Branch number university
Campus only in respectively
4. Study the (such as
Centre relevant 1+2, 2+1)
5. Any Other box.)
(Please
mention)
1

(Comment, if any):

104
 5. In case of joint provisions of the program what is the usual nature of arrangement?
(Please tick the appropriate box)

Curriculum Course Course Scrutiny of Examination

Designed Validation Delivery Applicants Arrangement
Foreign Indian Foreign Indian Foreign Indian Foreign Indian Foreign Indian

(Comment, if any):
6. Whether the Indian Institute is Govt. Recognized to deliver the program(s)

(i) Yes (ii) No

If yes, the name of Recognizing Body
7. Quality Assurance of the Foreign Partner in their home country.
(i) Yes (ii) No
If yes, the name of Quality Assurance Agency (ies)

8. Whether reservation is followed?

(i) Yes (ii) No
9. Whether do you have scholarships for students’ from disadvantaged social groups?
(i) Yes (ii) No
10. What are the different modes of Course Delivery available to students’ undertaking
courses? (Tick the appropriate option)

Face to Face On-Line Distance Flying Tutors Offshore Campus Training

11. Does the Institution Follows Placement Policy for Foreign Collaborating Course, If
yes mark the top five placement record of the previous year?

Name of the Type (Indian, MNC, Salary

Company Foreign) Per
Annum
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

105
 12. Any Other Comment.

Name _________________________
Signature(with seal)________________
Designation______________________
Phone/Mobile No______________

106
 APPENDIX D
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS’

UKIERI Research Study

Foreign Education Providers in India

Students’ Survey

A.PERSONAL INFORMATION OF THE STUDENT

1. Name :

2. Age as on 1st January, 2008 :

3. Sex: Male / Female :

4. E-mail :

5. Place of Residence :

District State
6. Family Income Per annum (Please tick the appropriate option)

(i) Less than 2Lakh (iii) 4lakhs-6 lakhs

(ii) 2lakh- 4lakhs (iv) More than 6lakhs

7. Whether belonging to: General ST

SC OBC

8. Qualification already completed: (Prior to taking the course)

(i) Secondary (v) PG Diploma

(ii) Higher Secondary (vi) Diploma
(iii) Graduation (vii) Any other
(iv) Post-graduation

B. COURSE/INSTITUTE INFORMATION
9. Name of the Institution the Student belongs to:

10. Place where institution located:

107
 District State
11. Name of the Course pursuing for foreign degree.

12. Fees of the course (per Annum):

13. Course Details:

Course Duration Level % share of course fees Admission criteria

(tick the appropriate (tick the financed by (tick the appropriate
option) appropriate option)
option)
1. less than 6 1. UG Source % Marks in
months Degree Share
Qualifying
Family
Exam.
2. 6 Months 2. PG Loan Taken Admission Test
Degree
3. 1 Year 3. UG Financed by Interview
Diploma Employer
4. 2 Years 4. PG Any other source
Diploma
5.3 Years 5.
Certificate
6. 4 years & 6. Other
above Award

14. Why have you chosen this course for studying? (write 1,2 and 3 in order of ranking for
preferences in the table below)

Preferences Give your ranking for

any three
(i). Personal Interest
(ii) Opportunity to earn Foreign Degree
(iii) Course widens Placements opportunities
(iv) Boredom with regular courses
(v) Earn higher educational status/ foreign tag
(vi) Relevant curricula/course design
(vi) Easy medium to migrate abroad
(vii) Recommended by others
15. Reasons for preferring the foreign degree course in relation to a course offered in
Indian universities. (Give your ranking for three top reasons in the table)
Reasons Give your
ranking for

108
 any three
1. Did not get admission in Indian universities and colleges of your
choice

2. Felt that Indian universities and colleges do not offer such

courses
3. Felt that the present course will give greater recognition than the
course under Indian universities and colleges
4. Felt that Indian universities and colleges do not offer course
with job orientation and the present course will fetch you a job
5. Felt that teaching learning process in Indian institutions are
boring in relation to the teaching learning process followed in
present course.

16. How have you come to know about the course? (tick the appropriate option)

(i) Advertisements in Paper/Radio (iv) Family/ Friends

(ii) Educational Fairs (v) Through Institutions, name it

(iii) Internet Surfing (vi) Any other medium

17. What are the various modes of course delivery you have encountered after joining it?
(Give percentage)
(i) Online (iv) Visiting Faculty

(ii) Full-time classroom lecture (v) Visiting Foreign Faculty

(iii) Part-time classroom lectures (vi) Visiting offshore country for

coursework

18. Are you satisfied in terms of learning outcomes with above modes of delivery

(i) Yes (ii) No

19. Does the course provide you opportunity to earn Foreign Degree

(i) Yes (ii) No

20. If yes, through what method

(1) Twinning Arrangement (2) Foreign Degree in India

21. Foreign Degree is given by (Tick the appropriate option)

a. Foreign University (Single)

b. Indian and Foreign University Combined (Joint)

c. Indian and Foreign University Separately (Dual)

109
22. Are you aware of the system of recognition of your course in the domestic framework,
like approval from AICTE/ UGC?

(i) Yes (ii) No

23. Does your Institution provide placement opportunity Abroad?

(i) Yes (ii) No

24. Have you ever given interview in the campus placement interviews? (Tick the appropriate
option)

(i) Yes, selected in Indian company (iv) Yes, not selected

(ii) Yes, selected in MNC (v) Not given any interview

(iii)Yes, selected for company abroad

25. Have the employing authorities questioned the credibility of the course on ground of
non-recognition from Indian authorities?
(i) Yes (ii) No
26. Are you satisfied with the overall delivery mechanism of the course? Kindly mark the
level in the rating of 1-5?
(i) 1-very low (ii) 2- low (iii) 3- Average

(iv) 4- high (v) 5-very high

27. What are the difficulties you faced in the deliverables of the course?

28. Your suggestions for improvement of the academic program.

Signature_______________

Date______________________

110