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KOLKATA: The Covid-19 pandemic has played the spoilsport with people’s plans to pursue higher education at foreign universities. As the crisis shows no sign of abating, prospective students are reassessing their priorities or wondering how to fulfill their desire to ‘study abroad’. To overcome this challenge, the edtech platform upGrad unveiled a study abroad program for learners to experience on-campus learning with renowned international universities.
The idea for this initiative stems from a recent survey conducted by the leader in online learning, in which it was found that many learners and alumni are still willing to travel and study abroad, to find employment in foreign regions. Responding to these emerging demands, but also keeping affordability in mind, as not everyone is willing to make heavier financial commitments, upGrad has designed this unique model offering.
The program is carefully designed keeping in mind the online cost for one year, or 1 / 10th of the offline spend, providing the double benefit of being cost effective, with the added benefit of mobility. Learners under this arrangement have the opportunity to study abroad and explore employment opportunities in the respective region of their choice in the near future, at a cost significantly lower than they would have. to pay for a course abroad entirely on campus.
With a goal of reaching 50,000 learners by 2026, upGrad has already launched two of these programs; the first being the route to Australian Universities where renowned Australian Universities such as James Cook University, Brisbane Campus participate, as well as the second program, a Masters in Data Science in which learners will receive dual accreditation from the ‘IIIT Bangalore and the International University of Applied Sciences, Germany.
The newly introduced curriculum applies not only to learners in India, but also geographies like Middle East, South East Asia, etc. It will also allow them to continue the program in two parts: one year online in India or their respective countries, followed by an opportunity to complete their course at an overseas campus in the following year (s).
UpGrad India CEO Arjun Mohan said: “We have always strived to provide quality transnational education to our learners who currently reside in different regions. With the Covid situation having a huge impact on the mobility of international students, we have now found a sustainable solution of the ‘Study Abroad’ program, where the learner spends this year studying online and moves abroad the following year. to gain global exposure or build a career there. With this one-of-a-kind program arrangement and the arrival of Ankur, we look forward to expanding the market for Bachelor to Study Abroad by making it affordable and suitable for the current market situation.
He added that the higher education platform is looking to close at least 20 university partnerships under the initiative in the coming months.
Both programs are integrated with personalized mentoring from upGrad to provide ongoing support throughout the program modules and include end-to-end counseling / visa support to make the whole process and hassle-free learning experience for its learners. After successfully completing the on-campus program in the second year, learners can also apply for a post-study-work visa in the destination country and build a career there.
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