three year degree

In July, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Education and Cultural Affairs, Goli Ameri, stated that the United States wants to see more Indian students enrolled in its universities. This goal, however, depends on greater understanding of the Indian education system by U.S. institutions (EMAILWIRE.COM, September 17, 2009). Speaking in Mumbai at the Techno India Institute, Ameri encouraged students to pursue graduate studies in the United States.

According to Dr. R. Venkatachalam, former professor of psychology at Bharathiar University in India, the real audience for this message should be U.S. admissions officers rather than Indian students. He pointed out that many admissions departments still do not fully recognize foreign credential evaluations that establish the equivalency of India’s three-year bachelor’s degrees to U.S. bachelor’s degrees.

In recent years, an increasing number of American universities have begun to accept Indian three-year degrees, at least in principle, as equivalent to four-year U.S. degrees. This development was highlighted in a survey conducted by John Kersey, Ph.D., of the Amos Bronson Alcott Center for Educational Research at European-American University, along with Sheila Danzig, Ph.D., of Career Consulting International and TheDegreePeople.com. Despite this progress, acceptance remains inconsistent and fragmented, and it has not adequately addressed the ongoing disadvantages faced by Indian graduates holding three-year degrees.