subject: Twinning Programs: Pros And Cons [print this page] If you want to save money and also enjoy the convenience of studying part of your course in India and part of it abroad, then a twinning program is what you might consider. Take, for instance, the Ansal Institute of Technology (AIT), Gurgaon; it collaborates with four US colleges, out of which a student could choose one and study partly in the United States. ECube Global College, Mumbai, has an arrangement with Newcastle University, UK in three engineering disciplines. Lovely Professional University has twinning linkages in BSc Hotel management, MBA, and others with the University of Missouri, USA, Thames Valley University, UK, and Warsaw University of Technology, Poland. Educomp-Raffles, which offers twinning in seven programs, allows students to choose from 12 destinations including Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, China, Thailand, and others. In ECube Global College, virtual access to Newcastle University library is allowed to students while in India.
The concept of twinning programs started in India in 1995. Foreign educators prefer adopting the twinning mode to operate in India because the stakes are low and income high. Indian students prefer twinning because it works out less expensive than a course undertaken abroad and yet they get a foreign degree and international exposure. Under twinning, the courses studied in India are monitored and evaluated by the foreign collaborator.
Twinning can be a great way of obtaining a foreign degree, especially in times of economic slowdown, but there are caveats that you must be aware of.
Quality of Course:
There are growing concerns about the quality of foreign institutions that domestic colleges are collaborating with for twinning programs. If factors like visibility, courtesy, and English language lead people into thinking that UK/US colleges are good, then that is largely because of perception rankings published in English, experts believe. Such rankings make for distorted projections by leaving out good European colleges. Although it must be said that European colleges also need verification.
Students must check the credentials of foreign colleges before enrolling. It is wrong to presume that all US and UK institutions are good. Students, therefore, must crosscheck whether the foreign degree they wish to obtain has more than just paper value.
VISA Rejection:
Most twinning programs presume that students will obtain the visa. Some colleges dont have a contingency plan in case the students visa application is rejected. In the second year of its operations, Ecube Global College is still considering introducing alternative options for visa rejects. It is extremely difficult to obtain visa on reapplication.
A student must check what alternative source of education the domestic college has worked out if this kind of situation surfaces.
Academic Credits:
Sometimes the foreign partner may not invite you to its college for twinning. Foreign colleges can reject you if you have not fulfilled the required academic parameters at the home college. For example, the ND State University, not considered among the top-league US colleges, is bound by academic procedures and rejects students if they dont qualify the benchmark.
Students are accepted only if they have English language proficiency. At the time of admission, either IELTS or TOEFL scores are asked, though some colleges may ask for GRE scores as well. Your financial status needs to be sound and you also need to have sufficient assets against which bank loans can be obtained.
Academic Enrichment:
While which college you are sent to is important, equally important is whether the college you are going to is known for the program in which you are enrolled. The learner must ask if the arrangement is bringing any real value in terms of learning. Regarding academic enrichment, check out which other colleges accept your credits, if you prefer further studies in another college abroad this information can be very useful.
If you have any query, write to the college and obtain information. Most websites have names and email IDs of faculty members who can be directly contacted.
