July has been a very interesting month for India with John Kerry (US secretary of state) visiting the country and his meeting the new PM. Kerry was here for the 5th Indo-US Strategic Dialogue took time out of his schedule and visited IIT and interacted with the students.

Here's an update on what other competition countries have done in the last week of July 2014 that has impacted the outflow of Indian students

1) Spain scraps university entrance exam for foreign students (Times Higher Education)
Spain is doing a lot of activities to establish the country as a major destination for overseas study. In one of its initial steps Spain has scrapped its university entrance exam for foreign students. The selectividad exam was viewed to be a barrier towards the inflow of international students in the country. It will be removed for Spanish students in 2017-18, with regions set to unveil their own standardised exams. Official figures reveal that only 74,000 foreign students were enrolled in Spanish universities last year, compared with 425,000 studying in the UK and 300,000 in Germany.
To know more, visit: www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/spain-scraps-university-entrance-exa...

2) Indian students' enrolment in German universities up more than 100 per cent in 5 years (The Economic Times)
Germany is emerging as a favoured higher education destination amongst students. According to latest figures released by DAAD, 114 per cent increase has been rercorded in the number of Indian students enrolling for higher education courses there since 2008. Franziska Lindhout, Director of the DAAD Information Centre in Chennai, said Germany encourages Indian students to sign up for masters and research in engineering as not many natives of the country show an interest in the discipline. Germany has made a conscious effort to woo Indian students by sponsoring initiatives aimed at enabling Indian students to study, carry out research and gain work experience.
To know more, visit: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-07-24/news/51981984_1_...

3) European Union universities woo Indian students with English (The Times of India)
Universities in European countries, like Paris Institute of Political Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlinare all highly rated but not on the radar of students from India.But that may soon change as universities in Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain and Italy looking to attract Indian students by offering programmes in English.
To know more, visit: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/European-Union-un...

4) Russia seeks more Indian students, to promote its culture in India (Business Standard)
President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India this year and is seeking to promote Russian education and culture in India.
Fyodor Rozovsky, director of the Russian Centre of Science and Culture (RCSC) stated that India and Russia will sign an agreement on the mutual recognition of higher education diplomas, which would help increase the inflow of Indian students to Russia. Russia's has the largest cultural representation abroad in India. The country has its presence with five RCSCs in India's primary cities of New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and a fast growing Trivandrum city located down in the South.
To know more, visit: http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/russia-seeks-more-ind...

5) Graduate jobs rate worst in 20 years (The Australian)
The employment rates of newly graduated bachelor degree holders in Australia are the worst they have been in 20 years, new figures show. The data, released by Graduate Careers Australia, adds to fears of a possible education “bubble” created by an ­influx of new graduates waiting longer for work, just as student fees rise and HECS loans attract higher interest.

6) Australia's top eight universities push for higher fees, fewer students (The Guardian)
Australia’s prestigious Group of Eight (Go8) universities are likely to reduce the number of students by increasing the tuition fees. Ian Young, vice chancellor of the Australian National University (ANU) and chairman of the Go8 advocated the downsizing and said it would be good news for the non-Go8 universities as it would enable more capable students to attend other institutions.
To know more, visit: www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jul/30/australias-top-eight-universit...