There has been a growth of 67% in the number of Indian students going to study in New Zealand. Source: Hindustani Times
Also, instead of opting for traditional management and IT courses, they prefer to major in what New Zealand is famous for – agriculture and forestry.
As per 2014 data, about 20,227 Indian students are studying in New Zealand compared with 12,092 in 2013.
“Traditionally, Indian students have opted to study business, management, IT, engineering and science in New Zealand. However, recently there has been increasing interest in courses which New Zealand specialises in, where our talent is high and is aligned with India’s needs,” said New Zealand high commissioner to India, Grahame Morton.
“Our country is world renowned for agriculture and forestry. Massey and Lincoln universities rank amongst some of the top globally in the field.”
The growth in the number of Indian students going to New Zealand for education seems to be consistent as the embassy has recorded a 22% increase in the number of visas granted during January to June this year compared with the same period in 2014.
“What distinguishes New Zealand is that it offers niche courses which are less established in India but are emerging and offer good job prospects,” said Ziena Jalil, regional director, south and south-east Asia.
“Media and design, sports management, hospitality, adventure tourism, cyber security and aviation are just some of the more specialised courses on offer.”
Several scholarships are also being offered to Indian students wanting to study in New Zealand. These include Christchurch Educated Skills Scholarships, New Zealand India Sports Scholarships, and the Commonwealth Scholarships managed by the ministry of human resource development in India.
International PhD students can also pursue these courses by paying domestic tuition fees for PhD programmes in New Zealand.
In order to attract more international students, the embassy allows students who are granted visas to be accompanied by their spouse and children.
“The spouse or partner of an international PhD student is also eligible for an open work permit valid for the duration of the PhD,” said Nathanael Mackay, area manager, immigration, New Zealand.
“Dependent children also receive the same schooling benefits as New Zealand permanent residents until their final year of high school.”
