Counselling continues for students aspiring to join ‘blacklisted’ US varsities

HYDERABAD: At a time when authorities in the United States of America (USA) are deporting dozens of students seeking admission to the two ‘controversial’ varsities there, Education USA continues to counsel students seeking admissions to these institutes.
The US State Department of International Students Advising Centres in a media conference clarified that students can join the Northwestern Polytechnic University (NPU) and Silicon Valley University (SVU) because they do not have any news about it being blacklisted.
Renuka Raja Rao, the country coordinator for the Education USA, backed by the US Consulate on Thursday said that since the department has not received any official communication from the US government, they have not stopped counselling students seeking admissions to NPU and SVU.
“The universities are certainly not blacklisted. However, we have urged students to do their personal research before they seek admissions to these varsities. We are sure that these mass deportations would definitely create awareness among those planning to go to these universities in future,” said Rao.
Rao’s statement created further confusion in the minds of students, who are unsure whether they would try for admission at NPU and SVU. “We are yet to get a clarity from both the governments on this issue. I will wait until March 31 before deferring my admission. I don’t want to invest another Rs 1.35 lakh on my travel only to be deported the second time,” said Mohammad Mazzhar, a student who was sent back recently.
Reiterating similar fears, Mohammad Ashraf, an NPU student said -- “I have already paid $100 towards my tuition fee. Now, even the university is not responding to my concerns. I am unsure if the money will be deferred to next semester or my admission will be cancelled.”
The EdUSA has 450 education centres in 170 countries. The advising centre receives over 1,30,000 enquiries from across the country every year. Since Hyderabad stands fourth in the world in issuing the highest number of student visas, Rao said that majority students have a mindset that they will fund their studies by doing part-time jobs in the US.
Even as the NPU and SVU are said to be ‘under-scrutiny’ by the US State and Homeland Security departments, names of NPU and SVU are clearly stated in most of the reference books offered by EdUSA in its libraries for students to find the right graduate program.
As per rough estimates made by immigration officials, close to 200 students have been deported in past fortnight by US authorities to Hyderabad. When questioned over accreditation of US universities, Piya Bahadur, regional officer at United States India Educational Foundation Hyderabad said: “Like India, even in the US, there are more than 4,000 universities and 8,000 colleges. Therefore, students need to verify with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation before seeking admissions to US universities.” The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is a national advocate for voluntary self-regulation through accreditation.