Indian students in UAE, foreign nationals can now apply for 15% seats at NIT, IIIT

Indian students living in the UAE and foreign nationals can now apply for 15 per cent of total seats at premier educational institutes in India.

The Indian Ministry of Education has notified that undergraduate admissions under Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) Scheme for year 2022-23 will be made on the basis of the ranks obtained by students in the Joint Entrance Examination-Main (JEE - Main) conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA).

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

More than 5,000 seats up for grabs

The scheme is available in different disciplines proportionately. At present, approximately 3,900 undergraduate and 1,300 postgraduate seats are offered under the scheme.

DASA Scheme allows foreign nationals studying in any country, including India, wards of persons of Indian origin (PIOs), overseas citizen of India (OCI) and non-resident Indians (NRIs), to pursue technical education in India in NITs and other centrally funded technical institutions, excluding IITs.

“Boon for Indian students and foreign nationals. Apply now,” the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said.

Fees for undergraduate programmes

Under DASA Scheme, the registration/application fee for the undergraduate programmes is $300 while the tuition fee is $8,000. The students belonging to children of Indian workers in the Gulf (CIWG) category and taking admissions in the undergraduate programmes of the NITs and Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur under the DASA Scheme can pay tuition fee of Rs125,000 per annum either in Indian rupees or equivalent US dollars at the existing exchange rate.

The parents, living in India or abroad and willing to pay fee(s) prescribed under the DASA scheme in Indian rupees at the existing exchange rate in place of US dollars, are allowed to pay the prescribed fee in Indian rupees.

For the postgraduate programmes, the non-refundable registration fee is $300 and the first semester tuition fee is $4,000. Foreign Nationals, who are nationals of SAARC countries, are eligible for a 50-per cent tuition fee waiver provided they have passed the qualifying examination (as mentioned above) in SAARC countries.