Over 100,000 Indian students come to the United States each year for higher education prospects. More than 50% of these students are in pursuit of Graduate programs, so much so that the number of applications received by American Universities far out numbers the programs and places available.

On the Undergraduate front, there are over 100 high schools in India offering a variety of International curricula (including the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program). The class size of graduating high school students from the abovementioned institutions ranges from 5-30 each year. That creates a total recruitment pool of less than 5000 prospective Undergraduate students for hundreds of Universities worldwide. There are an increasing number of private schools across the country developing their curricula in order to elevate their students’ capabilities to apply for an Undergraduate program in America. As enrollment at these schools is growing year-on-year, it is evident that Indian families are building towards their children’s Undergraduate education in the United States.

India being a massive country with some inherent barriers to recruitment still has huge regional socio-economic disparities. This creates complications in the overall recruitment strategy and brings about a need for constant ground presence. Year-round ground contact in India brings about constant vetting of high schools, students and families that are appropriate for each individual University. By following a University-specific recruitment strategy, most ground impediments can be alleviated. Since the full extent of Undergraduate recruitment potential in India is still largely unknown (as most communication and outreach to US Universities occurs from and within a small segment of the large high school community), there are opportunities for every type of varsity to utilize a scientific approach to recruitment that can facilitate long-term presence in South Asia.

By, Sindhuja Vasudevan

Mercurian Services

Bangalore, India

Mercurian Services is an enrollment support company located in Bangalore, India, and offers University-specific recruitment possibilities based on ground knowledge. The company is engaged in creating value-addition in the recruitment process by identifying viable recruiting grounds and building of a Ground Knowledge Database (GKD) to ensure long-term recruitment and brand presence in South Asia. For more information, e-mail: Sindhuja@mercurianservices.com