The European Higher Education Fair India 2016 (EHEF)being organised by the European Union Delegation to India has attracted the participation of more than 100 higher education institutions from 26 EU member states.
The two-day exhibition will be held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from September 30 to October 1.
The fair is aimed at Indian students looking to go abroad for higher education, including Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. courses but will also be of interest to parents and the academic community.
The EHEF India 2016 will allow students and parents to interact with some of the best educational institutions from across Europe, including many which appear in the internationally renowned Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE) 2015-2016.
Twenty-one of the European universities exhibiting in EHEF India 2016 are ranked in this year's the top 400.
The fair will highlight what Europe has to offer to Indian students in terms of the quality and diversity of English-taught bachelor, post-graduate and Ph.D courses.
Speaking about the second edition of the fair Tomasz Kozlowski, ambassador of the European Union to India, said: "Europe today has 4000 higher education institutions, from top level research establishments to small, specialized colleges, hosting about one-fifth of the world and students (20 million)and 1.5 million academicians."
"It is recognized as the leading higher educational destination for international students, offering both cutting edge education, value for money and rich cultural experience. Every year, 1.5 million international students come to Europe, of which around 50,000 are Indians. Through the fair, we seek to provide a platform to aspiring students to interact face-to- face with leading universities from across Europe and explore the educational, scholarship and career opportunities available in the Europe Union," he added.
As per the treaty with India, the European Union has provided funding of $ 25 million for higher education to the ministry of Education India, in phases, and $54 million for primary education in India. "We will continue to do so, in the future as well," said Kozlowski.
Kozlowski assured that Europe is a safe haven for students despite the terrorist attack in Paris. "The terrorist attacks are condemnable, we live in a world where things are uncertain and unpredictable, unfortunately in the having said that, Europe is still a very safe and secure place for students and tourists alike," he added.
A majority of Indian students used to come to Europe to pursue engineering (mainly computer science and information systems, mechanical or electronics and electrical engineering) or business courses, but the trends are changing as they are increasingly choosing Europeto study accounting and finance, bio science, economics, law, medicine and the arts as well.
The fair will also provide a platform to Indian students to explore the vast scholarship opportunities available for studying in Europe, funded by the EU and Member States.
Morethan 4,000 Indian students have benefited from Erasmus grants to study in Europe in recent years and about 1700 grants have been given to Indian researchers under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie' scholarships to teach and research in Europe.
Recently, the EU has launched a revised and larger programme called 'Erasmus' to provide scholarships to students across the world, including India.
Visitors will be able to meet exhibitors face-to- face and ask them questions about the courses offered by their institution and how to apply.
There will also be the opportunity to attend presentations on topics such as the education systems in the EU and the scholarships available, as well as meet alumni who can talk about what it is really like to study in Europe.
Visitors unable to travel to Delhi will be able to participate in a Virtual Fair.
