College Board Members Gather in New Delhi to Announce the Launch of the India Global Higher Education Alliance

On May 23, the College Board formally launched the India Global Higher Education Alliance in India at the inaugural Symposium in New Delhi. This event brought together founding Alliance member universities from India, founding affiliate member universities from around the world, and secondary schools in India to have important discussions about how to ensure access, inclusion and excellence in the transition to higher education in India.

The India Global Alliance platform will:

• Build a community of higher ed and secondary school leaders in India who will have consistent forums for working together to drive admissions practices will simplify the process for all students and expand access to high-quality undergraduate education for underserved students.
• Share and promote best practices across this global group of higher education institutions so that they can learn from what’s working in different parts of the world, including in India.
• Take concrete actions to improve access, inclusion and excellence including using programs like the SAT to help simply the process. Furthermore, we also launched the College Board India Scholars program whereby we will partner with NGOs and Indian Alliance members to help low-income students get ready for the SAT, access fee reductions and earn full scholarships that will be co-funded by the College Board and Indian Alliance member universities.

The India Global Alliance was launched with 10 Founding Indian Alliance members and seven Founding Affiliate members across 4 countries. Indian Alliance members include: Ahmedabad University, Ashoka University, Azim Premji University, Bennett University, BML Munjal University, FLAME University, Manav Rachna University, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, NMIMS, SRM Institute of Science and Technology. Affiliate members from around the world include: MIT, Columbia University, Purdue University, Pomona College, McGill University (Canada), University of Cambridge (UK), University of Hong Kong (HK).

Some quotes from Symposium participants include:

“Together we can work to make education in India more meaningful and admissions less stressful”

“This is just the 2nd time I’ve ever seen universities and secondary schools come together in India. Universities don’t even talk to each other, much less talk to secondary schools. College Board is bringing us all together”

“The potential for this is enormous. Best part, this is good for India”

“What I appreciate most about this is that the College Board has brought together a global group of universities to discuss issues that affect all of us. As educators, it is our duty to do this and the College Board has provided that platform”

“The scholarships for underprivileged students are a demonstration of true commitment to India. For these kids who come from nothing, this will give them some hope”

“The model is worth replicating in other countries around the world”

Learn more about the alliance here.