New Delhi, Nov 22 (IANS): The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has registered a total of 312 international students for the academic session 2023-24. This is for the first time that international admissions at BHU have crossed the 300-mark.

The central university is among the most preferred Indian institutions for international students seeking higher education.

With this, the latest registration of international students currently enrolled in the university has reached 734 (from 49 countries), an all-time high, an University official said.

The official said that of the new admissions, 172 students have enrolled in undergraduate programmes, 112 for postgraduate courses, while 16 students have enrolled for Ph.D. Twelve students have taken admission in certificate or diploma courses.

Among the fresh entrants, 253 are in self-financed category, while 49 are ICCR sponsored candidates. Four students have secured admission through EdCIL while six have been facilitated by the 'Study in India' programme.

The highest number of new entrants is from Nepal, with 155 students enrolling in various programmes. Eighty-five students are from Bangladesh, 11 from Sri Lanka and 10 from Myanmar. In total, students from 30 countries have enrolled in different courses at the university, the official said.

Vice-Chancellor Sudhir Kumar Jain said that BHU has been laying a greater focus on enhancing student amenities on the campus.

“We have been able to significantly increase hostel accommodation for international students. Scholarships for international students are also helping in BHU’s international outreach," said Jain.