NEW DELHI: The recent clash between foreign students and locals in the Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek has shifted the focus of an increasing number Indian students to Uzbekistan for the upcoming fall session.
"The recent skirmish in Bishkek will divert more students to Uzbekistan for higher studies. We are getting more and more queries from students wanting to take up medical courses offered across various universities in Uzbekistan. There are over 12,000 Indian students studying there already so it is familiar terrain," Dr Alakh Sharan Singh, Director of Infodata Cache Private Limited told The New Indian Express. Singh has been facilitating Indian students to study abroad (mostly for medicine) for the past twenty years.
The outbreak of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in February 2022 led to the evacuation of over 20,000 Indian students. Many of them sought admission in Uzbekistan and more are set to follow.
"Uzbekistan is connected through direct flights and has many universities to choose from in Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkhand and Andijan. Besides, the universities are well equipped with the latest technology and resources," Singh added.
Central Asia is increasingly becoming a preferred choice for many Indian students, specially those wanting to study medicine. The cost of living is lower compared to Europe and the US, the tuition fee is affordable and the travel time is just a few hours from major Indian cities.
There are approximately 40,000 Indian students studying across Central Asia.
Interestingly, four Indian universities have campuses in Uzbekistan -- Amity University in Tashkent, Sharda University in Andijan, Sambram Institute for Information Tecchnology in Jizakh region and a fourth in Bukhara region by Acharya Group of Institutions.
Sharda University was the first to set up its campus in Uzbekistan in 2019.