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| Courtesy: Pixabay |
Five Australian universities have placed bans on students from a few Indian states in response to an increase in fraudulent applications. According to emails in Australian media, there has been a “crackdown on applications from Indian students”.
The universities alleged to have placed a restriction on Indian students are Victoria University, Edith Cowan University, the University of Wollongong, Torrens University, and agents working for Southern Cross University.
According to reports, the restrictions apply primarily to applicants from eight Indian states — Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. However, in an official statement released recently, the University of Wollongong has denied placing restrictions on students from India.
The UOW said in a statement that it “does not have any restrictions on student applications from India other than the standard entry criteria we apply to all international students and the requirements of the Australian Department of Home Affairs”.
“Like all Australian universities, UOW has rigorous entry criteria for all students. All Australian universities are required to guard against fraudulent applications.” The university statement added that UOW works hard to ensure that the “admissions process is fair and just and accessible to all students”. While this has created a fair amount of confusion amongst Indian students aspiring to study in Australia, it remains to be seen how the situation plays out going forward.
Australia is reportedly set to enrol the highest number of Indian students ever, surpassing the previous high of 75,000 in 2019.
