Hyderabad, Aug 5 (IANS): Amid the general air of uncertainty pervading due to the pandemic, the University of Hyderabad (UoH) has received an all time high in terms of admission applications from foreign students.

In the current academic year, the UoH has received a total of 1,512 applications from ICCR -- a 5 to 6 fold increase compared to the last few years. Apart from this, about 45 applications have also been received from self-supporting foreign nationals.

The Vice-Chancellor of UoH, Prof. B. Jagadeeshwar Rao, expressed happiness at the large number of applications received this year, which suggests that UoH is the preferred destination for higher studies for several foreign nationals. UoH sees this as a positive indicator in line with the Institute of Eminence status of the university and NEP 2020, he said.

Prof. N. Siva Kumar, Director of International Affairs, said that the academic units of the UoH, after careful consideration selected 129 foreign nationals this year for various courses from the ICCR applications received. To date, 31 students, including 9 for PhD and 22 for Master's programmes - 13 girls and 18 boys, have already accepted to join UoH, and some more are expected to accept.

Students are from Syria, Yemen, Uganda, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sudan, Jordan, South Africa, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Nepal, Tanzania, Srilanka, Malawi, Indonesia, Swaziland, Iraq, Botswana, Eritrea.

The UoH, an Institution of Eminence (IoE), continues to be in the top position in the latest Nature Index 2021 ranking. The UoH has been ranked first among Indian Universities and 17th among all institutions in the Academic sector. It has seen a steady increase in foreign national applications for admission to various courses. UoH admits qualified students through Government of India agencies such as the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Study in India, SAARC countries and self-supporting international students to various courses in the University.