In India, every state government holds its own entrance exam for admissions into technical courses, like engineering and agriculture, and for a majority of them, the so-called 'Non-resident Indians' are not eligible.

Non-resident foreign citizens of Indian origin are treated on par with non-resident Indian citizens (NRIs) for the purpose of certain facilities.

The following are the main three categories of NRIs:

(i) Indian citizens who stay abroad for employment or for carrying on a business or vocation or any other purpose in circumstances indicating an indefinite period of stay abroad.

(ii) Indian citizens working abroad on assignment with foreign government agencies like United Nations Organization (UNO), including its affiliates, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank etc.

(iii) Officials of central and state government and public sector undertaking deputed abroad on temporary assignments or posted to their offices, including Indian diplomat missions, abroad.

So, the main point in focus was that the students coming to India after passing their 10th or 12th examinations from outside India are not eligible to appear at any of the state governments' entrance examinations!

But I don't mean to say that these types of students are not eligible for any of the entrance exams in India... never! In fact, they are, for many of the entrances.

One among such exams is ENAT(EPSI National Entrance Test): This is an autonomous assessment system, a single window online combined national entrance test, for universities and institutions across disciplines to ensure fair and transparent admission process. Qualifying this entrance exam makes you eligible to get admission across a 100 disciplines, like B.Tech., MBBS, BDS, B.Pharm, Fashion Design, LL.B ,etc. (excluding all the courses in commerce)  in some of the finest educational institutions across the country, which include Manipal University, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Massco Media, etc. More information on this can be obtained by visiting the website www.enat.org.in.

Another such entrance is the VITEEE (Vellore Institute of Technology- Engineering Entrance Exam). This exam is conducted by the VIT University every year for admissions into its undergraduate programs, like mechanical engineering, electric and electronics engineering, computer science and engineering, etc. The candidates may apply online by visiting the website www.vit.ac.in.

CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) is another exam one can appear for. It is an all-India entrance examination conducted by 11 National Law Universities for admissions to their undergraduate and post-graduate degree programs (LL.B & LL.M).  This year, CLAT is being conducted by The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata (WBNUJS). More information on application process, admission process and exam syllabus can be viewed on www.clat.ac.in. Passing this exam makes you eligible for getting admission into the 11 top law colleges of the country which includes NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad (NALSAR), National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU), Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow (RMLNLU) and the list goes on...

For those interested in the medical field, this exam is one of the most important ones, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Entrance Examination. AIIMS conducts teaching programs in medical and para-medical courses both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and awards its own degrees. Teaching and research are conducted in 42 disciplines. In the field of medical research AIIMS is the lead. In India, people simply dream of getting into it! All the other information about this exam can be viewed on www.aiimsexams.org and on the official website www.aiims.ac.in.

NATA (National Aptitude Test in Architecture) is a test that can get you into the architectural field. The test measures drawing and observation skills, sense of proportion, aesthetic sensitivity and critical thinking ability, that have been acquired over a long period of time, and that are related to specific field of study, i.e. architecture. All schools / colleges of architecture, government, government aided, university departments, private unaided, including colleges affiliated to self-financed deemed universities and private universities, or any department of architecture within a college, requires that its applicants take the NATA. For the application form, visit the website: www.nata.in.

There are other all India exams, like AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Exam), IIT-JEE (Indian Institute(s) of Technology-Joint Entrance Exam, BITSAT (Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences Aptitude Test, etc.

Now, coming to the fields and branches that you can opt for in under-graduation programs. For this you must be having the basic knowledge of what a field is about. In engineering, we have the following fields:

• Computer science and engineering.

• Aeronautical engineering: Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering.

• Mechanical/Industrial Production Engineering.

• Electronics and Communication Engineering.

• Civil Engineering.

• Chemical Engineering.

• Marine Engineering.

Coming to the field of commerce, we have courses, like B. Com (Bachelor of Commerce), BBA (Bachelor in Business Administration), BBM (Bachelor in Business Management), BCA (Bachelor in Computer Application), CA (Chartered Accountancy), etc and these courses can be opted by one who has passed his 12th class irrespective of the field.

For those interested in the medical field, we have courses in MBBS (Bachelor of medicine/Bachelor of Surgery), BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery), B. Pharma (Bachelor of Pharmacy), B.Sc (nursing), BHMS (Homeopathy Medicine), BUMS (Unani Medicine), BAMS (ayurvedic and siddha medicine) and other diploma courses, like General Nurse Training Course, Dental Mechanic Course, Bachelor of Occupational Therapy, etc. of 2 and 3 year's duration.

Direct admissions into these courses are possible by getting what we call, a "payment seat". But this payment is not a simple amount of a 20 or 30 thousand rupees, it ranges from 1 lakh rupees in engineering to 40 lakh rupees in medicine. But this is applicable throughout India. Payment seats are open to both, Indian nationals and foreign nationals.

But before choosing any course, one must hear the voice of his heart, ask for the suggestion of the parents and teachers, discuss among friends and even find it out from the people who are currently working in their respective fields.