As many as 25 Indian students enrolled at a university in the U.S. have been asked to return home or find a different university after failing to meet admission pre-requisites. The students were enrolled in the first semester of computer science programme at Western Kentucky University.
James Gary, the chairman of Western Kentucky's computer science programme, said that almost 40 students did not match the admission requirements despite being offered remedial classes. Of these, at least 25 have been asked to leave, the New York Times reported. These students were brought in by student recruiter services, which are paid based on the number of students they bring.
"If they come out of here without the ability to write programs, that's embarrassing to my department," Gary was quoted as saying by the NYT. Undergraduate students in the U.S. learn writing computer programs, which is considered important for the subject the Indian students had undertaken, he added.
Expressing concern over the fate of the Indian students, Aditya Sharma, chairman of the Indian Student Association at Western Kentucky University, added that some of the students were "casual" about their education, and couldn't meet their GPA. He also mentioned that some of the students are seeking admission to other schools in Missouri and Tennessee. Some students also sought less "rigorous" courses, he said.
The students were reportedly given admission through a recruitment service that offered "spot admission." The students were also given discounts during one of the 2015 admission campaigns. The campaign was meant to boost revenue for the university.
After the students were found to be lacking coding skills, the university took the resolution to send faculty members to India to oversee admissions.
The university ranked among the top 584 colleges in the U.S. by Forbes in 2015.
