Thursday 7 April 2016

Studying in the US Versus Studying in India

The education system in the United States is extremely different from that in India. Both have their own sets of positives and negatives, and it is not easy to determine which one is preferable unless you conduct a comparative analysis between the two. Each student has his own opinion regarding which education system is better than the other. This article showcases the difference between the US and the Indian education systems. For more details, visiting a global education fair in Bangalore is recommended.


See the difference between Indian and American System with respect to the following domains:


  • Exams:

In order to understand the exam marking, let us throw some light on engineering courses in India and the US. India has a final examination which varies between 80 to 100% of the total marks. In engineering, there are internals with 20% of the total marks. The students are usually assessed on the entire text book at the end of the final semester. In the United States, on the other hand, the number of tests each year in an engineering course vary between 2 to 4. These exams are referred to as midterms and each of these tests range from 25 to 40%. What would be the weightage for examination would depend on the professor. The prime thing to note that the students do not lose all their points if they fail to appear for the final exam due to specific reasons. If you are facing problems with certain chapters or cannot take the test due to illness, you will not be penalized. The risk would rather be distributed in an even manner.

The best thing about an engineering course in the US is that you need to study for all the semesters as you need to take tests every 4 - 6 weeks. Again, every test needs you to cover one-third to half of the material. Whether a test would be purely comprehensive or on a specific part of the text would depend on the professor’s choice. On the contrary, in India, a consolidated body governs the rules and regulations of the exams unless it is an autonomous institution.

  • Assignments:

Assignments form an integral part of the US education system. They constitute 15 to 20% of the total grade. While working on an assignment, the students need to be very cautious so that they do not commit plagiarism. If an assignment lacks originality, the concerned student is most likely to get F which is a failing grade. However, In India, it is easy for the students to manage copying other people’s assignments. If you are in an US university, you need to complete assignments each week or at least once in 15 days.

  • Projects:

Unlike in India, in the United States, projects are offered high weightage. They can constitute 20 to 40% of the total grade. In the projects, the students are asked to show how to apply the knowledge acquired in class. There are usually 2 sorts of projects: group projects and individual projects. While in the former, you need to form a team to complete a project, in the latter, you will be allowed to complete the project alone.

  • Term Papers:

In the United States, certain classes don’t have anything but writing papers. The students are required to perform a thorough research on the given topics, and based on it write term papers. You need to offer citations to show that you have researched well. The students writing these academic papers should follow Chicago, APA or similar styles. In India, there is no such concepts like term papers in general degree colleges.

Participating in an education fair in Bangalore would help you get more information on the differences that exist between the US and the Indian education systems.


Summary: Browse through this article to have an idea about the differences between the US and the Indian education systems. Based on this, you can judge as to what would be the best for you.

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