War forces Indian students going abroad to pay more

AHMEDABAD: Students planning to study in foreign universities in the next few months will have to dig deeper into their pockets to make their dream come true. Because of the war in Iraq, air fares and living costs have gone up, upsetting the earlier calculations. Airlines across the board are about to implement a six per cent increase on air travel from April 15.Add to this a marginal five per cent increase in living costs in the US, the UK and Australia.
Bruce Tudball, school administrative manager for Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, says that with the Iraq war stretching longer, cost of living is going up worldwide. “And living costs is one of the expensive components for international students. Things could change drastically if the war goes on for a longer duration,� he says.
The sturdy US economy has also received another jolt after 9\11, with 108,000 jobs lost in March alone. The US is again closer to slipping into a recession—deeper than it has been for more than a year. “The conflict with Iraq seems to have hurt the economy by causing a rise in oil prices early this year and also by heightening uncertainty. The war’s effect is difficult to measure,� notes The New York Times.
Japan Doshi, a computer science student from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, says: “We have observed hikes in oil prices recently. And hike in gas prices has affected living costs of many students like me. We are also anxious as getting a job is becoming tough.�
With recession, the cost of education has also soared in the US. Many US colleges and universities, which randomly announce an increase of two to five per cent every year, have registered the largest increase of 10 to 15 per cent in costs of education that include tuition and boarding fees.
Anjan Contractor, mechanical engineering student from Ohio State University and secretary of the Federation of Indian Association in central Ohio, says: “The tuition cost has gone up by about 20 per cent. With this, I have to count every penny to adjust my expenses.� “Australian universities have also announced a marginal increase in estimates of living cost and tuition fees,� admits Robert Taylor, principal lecturer of Victoria University, Australia.
His university has recently upped tuition fees from AUD $ 5,500 per semester to AUD $ 6,250 for 2003. It has also revised the estimate of living costs from AUD 10,000 per year to AUD 12,000 this year.
Ashini Parikh, marketing manager of Deakin University, also informed that students going abroad may have to recalculate their living costs for this year because of a marginal war-related five per cent increase in the living costs in Australia.
“Australian universities randomly announce 10 to 15 per cent increase every two to three years. Following this, Deakin may announce a hike of 15 per cent in tuition fees for 2004 this year,� said Parikh.
Nandini Mukherjee, education advisor from Study Overseas, UK also informed that it is advisable for Indian students to keep additional funds as a buffer to cope with the increase in oil prices and related increase in living costs in the UK.
Sanket Shah, an Australia and UK immigration and education advisor, however, says: “This war-related increase in living cost will hardly affect Indian students. Universities always give higher estimates for living costs. Indian students spend much less.�