In this article let’s take a look at whether getting a foreign degree and education from foreign universities is worth it by looking at all the benefits and drawbacks of foreign degree and if foreign degree is valid or not in India in terms of getting jobs and attending UPSC exam and other government jobs.
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So without further ado let’s dive right in.
What is foreign degree?
Basically the foreign degree is a type of degree and education which you have acquired from a foreign university that is not located in India or in your home country.
For example if you live in india & got 4 years of engineering degree from Stanford University then obviously this is considered as foreign degree because you have got your certificate and degree from Stanford which is located in America not India.
Now that you know the definition of foreign degree, let’s take a look at whether getting a foreign degree is valid in India for government and private jobs.
Is foreign degree valid for upsc in india?
Yes foreign degree is definitely valid in india but as long as the foreign university from where you get your degree is accredited, approved by the competent authorities in that country and you also need to get aiu equivalence certificate.
Aiu is an association of Indian universities and it is the liaison between universities and government bodies and helps with getting the degrees you earned from foreign countries valid in India and for exams like UPSC, SSC, IBPO, etc to get an AIU certificate the following conditions have to be met which are,
the university must have been approved and accredited and the degree must be full-time or approved in the university, and the duration, eligibility requirements for the degree must be quite similar to Indian universities and in those cases, you can get the equivalence certificate.
Is foreign degree valid for getting jobs in India?
And if you get equivalence certificate of AIU then your foreign degree will definitely be valid for not just government but also private jobs but the problem would be that the employer in private company might not know about the university from where you graduated, education and curriculum quality, etc so It is highly recommended that you graduate from top foreign universities like Harvard Stanford or MIT and Oxford which are popular
if you want to get job opportunities in foreign countries & global exposure but if you want to get employment in India and Indian industries then foreign degree might not be very much useful to get private job in India then you should look for top universities in India like IIT or IIM instead of foreign universities.
And if you only want to get foreign degree then you should choose top foreign universities from America and other popular countries like Canada and Britain not remote countries like Sweden or Finland which are very less popular and also graduate from top universities in the world.
Now Let’s see if foreign degree is worth it.
Is foreign degree worth it?
In my opinion foreign degree is definitely worth it because you not only get better education and opportunities in life but you also have better network and connections, more skills and higher self confidence, foreign degree can also help you stand out from your competition when applying for job.
But there are some disadvantages with foreign degree as well like home sickness and expensive education but overall foreign degree has more benefits compared to the drawbacks in India and it is definitely worth it.
Now let’s take a look at all the advantages and disadvantages of getting a foreign degree and studying abroad.
Benefits and drawbacks of foreign degree
Benefits of foreign degree
- Networking benefits- main benefit of foreign degree is that you can get a chance to meet new people which are not your regular friends by getting admission in foreign universities like Harvard for example and admission in this top universities is also very tough so you know the students getting admission are top and highly talented people so building connections with this great people can help you significantly in your career
- More diverse & interdisciplinary courses– another benefit is you can have more diverse courses and career options, and also many foreign universities like Harvard Stanford or Cambridge University provide interdisciplinary courses for the students so that they can study and master in different subjects which is they like
- Impress your employer- you can also impress your employer when you are applying for a job as you can mention that you got your degree from foreign university like Harvard or Stanford in your CV, getting foreign degree shows that you have courage flexibility and awareness of people to the employer for example if the university is very popular like Ivy league then it can have a lot of impact on your career because employer will assume you will have the skills because you got admission into such top college like Harvard which is top five universities in the world and acceptance rate in this top colleges is around 5% in Harvard so it is also very tough to get admission into
- Better education & opportunities- another benefit is you can get better education, more updated syllabus and curriculum, better structure of education, less projects and more focus on practical learning, good faculty in foreign universities like Oxford in England and you can get more opportunities of jobs and placements because you are taught in better education environment as compared to India and you can also learn new skills like entrepreneurship by getting foreign degree because many foreign universities have more funding and better faculty than India
- Learn new language- another benefit is you can get a strong reason to learn any new language for example you can learn German if you study in Germany or you can learn Japanese if you study in Japan and having the knowledge of any new language apart from your mother tongue and English can help you a lot in terms of job opportunities, increasing salary, and promotions in your job, and learning new language is also good for your brain
- High exposure- another benefit of foreign degree is you can get more exposure by visiting new places in foreign universities and you can get to know new problems of people, observe new culture of people, get a chance to look at the innovation and creativity of people in the country and many more which can give you some unique experiences in life
- Grow your confidence- another benefit is foreign degree can help you grow your confidence alot because many students enrol in foreign universities like Stanford and stay in hostels or private rooms alone and they do all the activities such as washing the clothes, getting all the grocery, preparing food for themselves, taking care of health themselves, and motivating themselves to study and work, basically move out of comfort zone so It helps them grow overall and boost self confidence because in India you would have your family to do all these things to you so you would not have much responsibility and obviously not much work and confidence on yourself that you can handle things by yourself
- Discover a new passion- another benefit is you can also discover any new passion or hobby after getting admission into foreign universities like hiking water sports or golf football rugby or any other sport because many foreign universities not only focus on academics but also on overall personality development and you can also learn skills like leadership teamwork and communication skills from these sports and events in foreign universities like Harvard and other Ivy schools
Disadvantages of foreign degree
- Home sickness- obviously the main disadvantage is home sickness feeling and many students who study abroad feel home sickness at some point of their life, It is because every country has its own culture and tradition which is different for example American culture is different from Indian, America is most visited study destination for Indians, so many students feel home sickness in America because people places and environment is totally different in both the countries and many students also get into depression anxiety and mental stress by not being able to make friends and share their problems and issues with others in US
- Difficult weather- another disadvantage is difficult weather and environment, if you move to MIT University or Oxford University from South India then the weather in Oxford which is located in England is totally different and cooler so it will be difficult for you to adjust since you have been living in hot and warm weather in your home country
- Expensive education and living- another disadvantage is expensive education, for example it will cost you $50000 and average to study engineering in Harvard which is really expensive and on top of that you should include living expenses like your health food rental fees and other facilities but thankfully many of the following universities both American and European offer scholarships depending upon financial income, assets of family and you can also work on part-time basis to participate in financial aid program unlike India the scholarships are based upon the need and academics performance not upon the caste of the student and admission is based upon merit not caste reservations in many foreign universities which is also highlight thing
- You might face little problems while applying for jobs- another disadvantage is you might face problems when applying for job because even though having a foreign degree can help you stand out, but because you have studied in foreign countries and if you apply for job in India then Indian employer might not know the foreign university where you studied, the quality of education and curriculum, and not all universities are equally popular like Harvard or Stanford so there is a high chance that you will face issues and problems in applying for job and you can solve them by letting your employer know about what the university and showcase your skills, You can give confidence to employer that you are eligible to work for the company and this is why you should probably graduate from reptable international college from known countries like America or Canada or Britain.
These are all the advantages and disadvantages of foreign degree in India.
With that said let’s end the article.
Conclusion
These are all the things you need to know about foreign degree.
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