AHMEDABAD: Rohan Chougale, a professional based in Ahmedabad, was planning to travel to the United States to pursue graduate studies in engineering and management. “Most universities had moved their courses online. I did not see the point of opting for online education from a foreign university because I was looking for better exposure by living and studying in a foreign country. As there was a lot of uncertainty because of the pandemic, I decided to postpone my plan for a year, ”explained Chougale, who had decided to obtain loans to finance part of his studies.
According to foreign education experts, the majority of students who wanted to study abroad this year have postponed their plans for at least a year. “Most of our students have postponed their one-year plans because they don’t want to take an online course,” said Ajit Singh, product manager at a city-based overseas education consultancy. .
Singh, however, also pointed out that while demand for loans has fallen, the sanction and disbursement of loans is a concern. “Those who plan to pursue their admissions, online or offline, have difficulty obtaining education loans as a number of private and public sector lenders have made their standards stringent,” he said. added.