ELECTION 99
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Princeton U To Give Foreign Students A Boost

J M Shenoy

In its first move in three decades to boost the number of students, Princeton University has announced a plan to create slots for 500 undergraduate students, a substantial number of them from abroad, in the next five to 10 years.

School officials also acknowledged that historically the Ivy League school has not admitted adequate number of foreign students.

There are currently 4,600 students at Princeton, and about 15 per cent of them are reportedly from foreign countries. India has sent a significant number of students; in addition, there are scores of second-generation Indian American students at the school.

Paul Wythes, chairman of the committee who made the proposal, said he expects the plan to be easily approved by the board of trustees at its April meeting.

A larger student body would augment diversity in the university and increase student activity on campus, he said, adding that the plan would provide an opportunity to offer admission to a larger number of international students.

"The size of each incoming class in the last 25 years has been relatively stagnant, while the size of the faculty has increased," Wythes's report said.

"We feel this [recommendation] is right for the future of the university. If passed, this would not be revisited by the University every year."

School officials did not say how many additional foreign students will be inducted each year. Several Indian students at Princeton said they expected the slots to be created in science and social science departments.

Despite the Wythes committee's call for a 10 per cent increase in the student body, they have not recommended a corresponding increase in university faculty. The trustees believe the faculty has the ability to handle the increase in the number of students."

Previous: Canadian Citizenship Process To Be Simplified

Tell us what you think of this report