Questions and Answers: What Can the India Platform Do for You?

 

 

How does the India Platform UGent support student and staff exchange between Ghent University and Indian institutes?

  • If a cooperation agreement is signed between Ghent University and an Indian institute, Indian students and/or staff members can come to UGent and vice versa, UGent students and/or staff members can go to one of the Indian partner institutes. The number of students and staff members, the duration of the stay, and the funding for travel, boarding and lodging, depends on the cooperation agreement with the institution and on the funds available at the moment of application.

Does the India Platform UGent provide special funding for Indian students?

  • No, the India Platform has no separate sources to fund students to stay and study in Belgium. There are however possibilities to apply for grants for foreign students through the channels such as the Flemish Interuniversity Council: VLIR (www.vliruos.be) and the National Fund for Scientific Research (Belgium): FWO (www.fwo.be). There is a research fund for foreign joint PhD’s as well

How do I apply at Ghent University as an Indian student or staff member?

  • Guidelines for Indian students to apply and enrol at Ghent University can be found at http://www.ugent.be/en/teaching/admission/degreestudent. As an Indian citizen, it is good to know that there are some extra documents to be collected before coming to Belgium: (1) a copy of your birth certificate; (2) a copy of your certificate of moral conduct and good behaviour; (3) legally certified copies of the diploma(s) on which you base your admission and its transcript of records; (4) a translation of these documents by a sworn translator into English (if necessary); (5) the copy of the diploma(s) and the translation must have original seals and stamps of the Belgian Embassy or the Belgian Consulate General. For information concerning the legalisation of Indian diplomas, please see http://mea.gov.in/apostille.htm.
  • When you have read the guidelines and collected every document necessary, the first thing to do in Ghent is to visit the university Department of Personnel and Organisation (in case you will be a doctoral student or a staff member), or the Office for Student Administration and Study Programmes (in case your will be a student). Both offices are located in the 'Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 25' in the centre of the city. Useful email addresses are (for staff members): Laila.Boulyou@ugent.be and (for students): internationalstudents@ugent.be.

Can the India Platform UGent support academic missions?

  • Yes, each year a limited amount of money is available for missions to initiate or strenghten collaborations in India. Because of the very small amount of the money, the selection is on a first come first served basis.

Does the India Platform UGent provide administrative support in project writing or other collaborations with Indian partners?

  • No, the India Platform is not a logistical institution that gives general administrative support for activities related to India at Ghent University. It does give support on the level of cultural differences, when problems occur and advice is sought.

What is the structure of the higher education system in India?

  • India is known as the largest democracy in the world, but it is also worth having a look at its higher education system, which can be said to be the largest in the world. For a basic outline of the higher education system in India, as well as for official information about Indian scholarships, see http://www.education.nic.in/uhe/uhe.asp