Bengaluru: The number of Indian students sending SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) scores to US universities has dropped by at least 10% in the past three years. Their loss is now the gain of India, Australia, European Union, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK, which have been getting more applications, according to American non-profit College Board.India is now top of the list, thanks to the increasing number of private Indian liberal arts universities accepting SAT scores. The number of universities accepting SAT scores has increased from six in 2006 to 70 now.“Three years ago, I’d say over 80% of Indian SAT scores went to the United States. That number is down, closer to 70% now,” said Rushi Sheth, vice-president, College Board (international division), US. Rushi was in Bengaluru Friday for the India forum of the board.“So if applications to the US and Canada are declining, but the overall number of Indian students is increasing, where are those scores going? India is seeing a huge growth in students sending SAT scores. The likes of Spain, Italy, Germany and Japan are getting test scores from Indian students. The UK is stable,” he said.“Unlike other test scores, SAT scores predict first-year academic performance and on-time graduation. Students scoring around the 80th percentile, approximately 1,200-1,300 on the SAT, have roughly a two-thirds likelihood of completing a four-year bachelor’s degree on time. Those scoring between 800 and 990 have approximately a one-in-four chance of completing it on time. This helps universities identify good students,” he added.According to College Board, it provides fee waiver for students after considering their parents’ financial statements. College Board provides students with access to free, official SAT preparation resources, including full-length digital practice tests through Bluebook and personalised practice through Khan Academy.Harsh Ranjan Sinha, joint director and head of admissions at OP Jindal Global University, said: “We have multiple pathways, including our own tests and central tests like Common University Entrance Test (CUET). One of the advantages of using SAT is that the results come early, when compared to tests like CUET. By the time CUET scores come out, most admissions have already been completed.”Top non-US destinations through SAT* University of Sydney* University of New South Wales* University of Toronto* National University of Singapore* Nanyang Technological University* Singapore Management University* Monash University* University of British Columbia* The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology* University College LondonTop US destinations from India1. Purdue University2. University of Texas at Austin3. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign4. University of Southern California5. University of Maryland, College Park6. Georgia Tech7. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor8. Penn State University Park9. University of Wisconsin-Madison10. UMass AmherstK’taka varsities accepting SAT scores1. Alliance University, Bengaluru2. Amity University, Bengaluru3. JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru4. Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal5. Presidency University, Bengaluru6. Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bengaluru7. Vidyashilp University, Bengaluru
