The Delegation of the European Union to India is organising a series of webinars from September 20 to 23, 2016 as part of the European Higher Education Virtual Fair (EHEVF) India and South Asia 2016. The fair aims to provide a virtual dialogue platform between European higher education institutions (HEIs) and Indian/South Asian students. 
Commenting on the fair, Tomasz Kozlowski, ambassador of the European Union, stated, “Europe today has 4000 higher education institutions, from top-level research establishments to small, specialised colleges, hosting about one-fifth of the world’s students (20 million) and 1.5 million academicians. It is recognised as the leading higher educational destination for international students, offering both cutting edge education, value for money and rich cultural experience. Every year, 1.5 million international students come to Europe, of which around 50,000 are Indians. Through the European Higher Education Virtual Fair, we seek to provide a platform to the aspiring students to interact with the leading universities across Europe and explore the educational, scholarship and career opportunities available in Europe.” 

The EHEVF 2016 comprises an online portal www.study-europe.net which hosts web-pages of more than 180 institutions and two series of webinars in July and September 2016 wherein participating institutions are able to address Indian students and answer questions in real time. The September series of webinars will feature subject sessions on popular courses sought by Indian/international students in European universities such as Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology, Business management and marketing / MBA and medicine and health. Each subject webinar session comprises of a two-hour session with four slots during which different European universities will address the students about the opportunities they offer to international students. The student will thus be able to talk to different European universities in real time, from the comfort of his or her home or hostel and without spending any money whatsoever. 

Similarly, there will be country sessions with presentations from EU member states including Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden and Slovenia. There will also be business sessions in which representatives of leading European business organisations including will talk to the students about the career prospects available after higher education in Europe. There will also be sessions to present leading HEIs, and thematic sessions on research opportunities, scholarships, and life as a student in Europe. 

Detailed webinar schedule is available online at http://www.studyeurope.net/content/webinarsschedule. 

EHEVF 2016 follows from the success of the EHEVF 2015 – the first ever European Higher Education Virtual Fair – held from November 26-29, 2015 which saw participation from more than 3200 Indian/South Asian students in 75 webinar sessions involving more than 30 EU HEIs.  In the July 2016 series of webinars held from July 13 to 16, more than 1450 students participated. The webinars are aimed at Indian high school and college students aspiring to go abroad for higher education. 

Europe has more to offer than many young people in India realise. It has 4000 universities and 19 million students. Every year, some 200,000 international students come to Europe, of which some 50,000 are Indian. Europe has more world-class universities than any other region – with 42 of the top 100, compared to 39 in the US, and 104 universities in the top 200, compared to only 63 in the US. Overall nearly half of the World’s Top 400 universities are in Europe (Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015-2016). 

Additionally, the EU delegation is also supporting the organisation of a physical fair, the European Higher Education Fair (EHEF) which will be held from September 30 to October 1, 2016 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. More than 100 higher education institutions from 26 EU member states will be participating in this fair.