The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-Kgp), has introduced a ‘Semester Away Programme’ (SAP), which will enable its students to opt for a semester or two at any foreign or Indian university before they complete their course. “A student will be able to choose an institution in India or abroad and a course offered by them. They will choose the course, take the approval of the faculty and apply. The university does not necessarily have to be one we have an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with. If chosen, the students will be able to go there for one or a maximum of two semesters,” explained P K Das, dean of IIT-Kharagpur’s post-graduate programme.
Third year B.Tech students and second year M.Tech students with a CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) of 7 or above will be able to apply for the SAP. They will also have to ensure that they have no academic backlog and no pending disciplinary action. “Studying in the top universities across the globe will add to their CV. The national/international exposure to the top institutes will make them more employable,” added professor Das.
The course fee, however, will have to be arranged by the students. “If we have an MoU with the host university, or if the student bags a scholarship, then their tuition fee and hostel charges could be waived to some extent. Otherwise, the students will have to make arrangements for themselves. Later on, we will try to arrange for alumni endowment for this purpose,” said Sriman K Bhattacharyya, deputy director of IIT-Kgp.
[“source-indianexpress”]
