In India, higher education includes the education imparted after schooling for 10 + 2 years i.e. ten years of primary and secondary schooling followed by two years of higher / senior secondary schooling which is equivalent to STPM in Malaysia. The annual academic session starts in July to August. College admissions start in May to June or even much earlier, on the basis of written examination or interview. Some universities / institutes reserve a limited number of seats for foreign / NRI students, which are given on the basis of the applicant’s academic records.

Undergraduate courses:

Minimum qualification: 60% marks in STPM or any other qualification which is equivalent to India’s 10 + 2 CBSE level.

Postgraduate courses:

Minimum qualification: graduate degree in the appropriate field with 50% marks.

Doctorate (PhD):

Students are admitted to PhD courses if they are able to fulfil the eligibility criteria regarding their research competence and genuine interest in the subject of study. The admission is approved by the Board of Studies and in some cases on the recommendation of a Research Degree Committee of the university concerned. The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) conduct a joint selection test twice a year and a good number of fellowships are available for those who have qualified the test for higher research.

Students can pursue their higher education in India under the Distance Education scheme through various universities in India, such as the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Jawaharlal Nehru Univeristy, Osmania University, Annamalai University, etc.

Foreign students going to India for studies should apply for student visa at the India Visa Centre www.indiavisa.com.my. The India Visa Centre is located at No. 44, Jalan Ampang, at the Ground Floor of Wisma Great Eastern. Tel: 03 2032 1100.

The candidate will have to obtain an admission letter from the school / college to which they are going to study, and attach it with the visa application form. Visa applications can be downloaded from the Consular page of this Mission’s website.

In certain cases, the students would have to attend an interview at the High Commission of India, Kuala Lumpur. They will have to come to the Visa Section counter in the morning hours on weekdays, for such interviews.

Education Consultants India Limited (Ed.CIL) is a Government of India enterprise, under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, and is responsible for promotion of studying in India to foreigners. Foreign students can apply for most of the graduate and postgraduate courses in India including Arts, Science, Commerce, Education, Law, M. Phil, etc. can be made directly or through Ed.CIL www.edcil.co.in. Admission for engineering or technology courses can also be sought against seats reserved for foreign students.

The Government of India has a special scholarship programme for the children of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non Resident Indians (NRIs) for pursuing undergraduate professional and general courses in India. Scholarships are being offered for Undergraduate courses in disciplines including Engineering / Architecture / Technology, Humanities / Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management – BBA / BBM, Journalism, Hotel Management, Agriculture / Animal Husbandry, Sciences, Law, etc., except for medical and related courses.

The amount of scholarship on offer is 75% of the Institutional Economic Cost (IEC) or US $ 3,600, whichever is less. IEC includes Tuition fee, Hostel fee and other institutional charges.

NRI candidates would be eligible for the grant of scholarship only if their total family income does not exceed an amount equivalent to US $ 1,500. Children of NRIs should have pursued at least three years of education inclusive of 11th & 12th or equivalent (not beyond), in a foreign country during the last six years, and have passed the qualifying examination abroad.

Candidates would be selected on the basis of a Common Entrance Test (of Objective Type in English, Reasoning Ability and General Awareness) to be conducted by Educational Consultants India Limited (Ed.CIL) at the High Commission of India, Kuala Lumpur. The candidates would also have to fulfil the eligibility criteria prescribed for the purpose.

Academic Qualification:

Candidates with 60% aggregate marks or 6.75/10.00 CGPA or equivalent grades in Higher Secondary (12th standard) or equivalent as recognized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), will be eligible to appear for the Entrance Test. The candidate must have studied the prescribed essential subjects at the qualifying examination level to pursue a particular course of study.

Applicants who have appeared or will be appearing in the qualifying examination in March/April 2008 and whose results have not yet been declared can also apply, if they are otherwise eligible. Such candidates will, however, be admitted to the Institute only if they are able to produce all the required testimonials to Ed.CIL by 10 June 2008 and have, otherwise, been selected based on the Common Entrance Test.

Application Forms:

The application forms are available with the High Commission of India, Education Section, located at No. 2, Jalan Taman Duta, Off Jalan Duta, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, (Telefax: 03 2092 2339). The application forms can also be downloaded from this Mission’s website.
Further information on SPDC can also be accessed at www.edcil.co.in and www.educationindia4u.nic.in Applications, duly filled in should be sent directly to: The Project Manager (SPDC), Educational Consultants India Limited (Ed.CIL), P & S Division Ed.CIL House-18-A, Sector-16-A, NOIDA-201 301, Uttar Pradesh, India.

The last date for duly filled in application forms to reach Ed.CIL, New Delhi, is usually around last week of March to first week of April. Check the application each year for the exact dates.

In order to encourage educational exchange, the Government of India has the Nomination under Self Financing Scheme (SFS) for foreign students, in which eligible Malaysian students are given admission to various selected government Medical, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical and Engineering colleges in India.

Eligibility criteria:

1. MBBS / BDS / B. Pharmacy / Diploma in Pharmacy courses:

   A candidate must have secured a minimum of 60% of aggregate marks with at least 60% in Physics, Chemistry and Biology (Botany and Zoology) and 50% in English in the qualifying examination (equivalent to standard 10 + 2 of CBSE in India).

2. B.E. course:

   A candidate must have secured a minimum of 60% aggregate marks with at least 60% in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics and 50% in English in the qualifying examination (equivalent to standard 10 + 2 of CBSE in India).

3. Diploma in Engineering course:

   A candidate must have secured a minimum of 60% aggregate marks with at least 60% in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in the first attempt and 50% in English in the 10th as well as in 12th Grade examination. Age limit should be below 21 years as on 01 August.

Some Directorates of Technical Education require that the minimum aggregate marks should be obtained in the first attempt.

The Indian Government would facilitate the admission of the self financing Malaysian students to these limited number of reserved seats. The students are required to bear all expenses on education and passage and must undertake to return to Malaysia after the completion of their studies.

Nomination application forms may be obtained from the Education Section, at the High Commission of India, Kuala Lumpur. (Telefax: 03 2092 2339). The application forms can also be downloaded from this Mission’s website.

The last date for submission of duly filled in application forms to the High Commission of India, Kuala Lumpur, is usually at the end of March every year.

The High Commission of India, Kuala Lumpur, administers a scholarship called the Indian Trust Fund, through which it provides a small amount of approximately RM 1,000 per year, for Malaysian Indian students who pursue their studies in a local college in Malaysia. This is to help the economically weaker section of the Malaysian Indian society who are meritorious and who are finding it difficult to find the means for higher education. The application forms are put out in June-July every year. Renewal candidates also have to re-apply to get the scholarship, but only fresh candidates will be called for interview. Only those candidates who have been selected in the interview will receive the scholarship. When too many renewal candidates apply, not all will get the renewal – in such cases the renewal of scholarship will depend on certain criteria set by the selection committee of the Indian Trust Fund. The application forms can be obtained from the Education Section at the High Commission of India, Kuala Lumpur, or can also be downloaded from this Mission’s website. The last date to apply is usually at the end of July each year.

Under the ITEC scheme, trainees are provided with airfare, tuition fee, accommodation and living allowance by the Government of India. This scheme is administered by the Ministry of External Affairs, India. Malaysia has been allotted a few slots under the ITEC scheme. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia, the Public Service Department of Malaysia, and the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), Malaysia, are the nodal agencies for this programme. For more details access ITEC’s website www.itec.nic.in. Interested ITEC applicants can download the ITEC application form from this Mission’s website.

Through the TCS of Colombo Plan, the Government of India bears the cost of training to foreign participants by providing for the airfare, tuition fee, accommodation and living allowance. This scheme is administered by the Department of Economic Affairs, under the Ministry of Finance, India. Malaysia has been allotted a few slots under the TCS of Colombo Plan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia, the Public Service Department of Malaysia, and the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), Malaysia, are the nodal agencies for this programme. The TCS of Colombo Plan application can also be downloaded from this Mission’s website.

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI), New Delhi, conducts six weeks Professional Courses for Foreign Diplomats (PCFD), three to four times a year. Under this program, the trainees are provided airfare, tuition fee, accommodation and living allowance by the Government of India. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia, is the nodal agency for nominations. For more details, access FSI’s website http://fsi.mea.gov.in. The application form can be downloaded either from the FSI’s website or from this Mission’s website.

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous body established in 1950. It gives out many scholarships, and Malaysia has been allotted one slot under ICCR’s General Cultural Scholarship Scheme (GCSS). For the application forms, contact the Information Section at the High Commission of India, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03 2095 0586.