Kashmir students claim fake scholarship agencies left them cheated
Srinagar, Jul 31 : A growing number of self-styled scholarship agencies operating in Kashmir are allegedly deceiving students by promising admissions and scholarships at universities abroad, leaving many aspirants with financial losses and shattered academic plans, according to affected students.
Several students said that these agencies advertise heavily on social media and claim to have tie-ups with foreign universities, offering “guaranteed scholarships”, fast-track admissions and visa assistance. However, many students alleged that after collecting hefty registration, processing and consultancy fees, the agencies either failed to deliver on their promises or became unresponsive.
Some students claimed they were assured of full or partial scholarships but later discovered that no such financial assistance had been approved by the universities concerned.
“I was promised a 100 per cent scholarship and was asked to deposit consultancy and processing charges. Months later, I found out that the university had never offered me any scholarship. I lost both my money and valuable time,” said a student from Srinagar, requesting anonymity.
Another student from Baramulla alleged that the agency kept demanding additional payments under different pretexts, including document verification and visa processing.
“They kept assuring me that my admission was confirmed and that my visa would be processed soon. In the end, nothing materialised, and they stopped responding to my calls,” the student said.
A student from Anantnag said several aspirants had borrowed money from relatives in the hope of studying abroad.
“My family arranged the money with great difficulty because we believed the scholarship claim. Now we have neither the scholarship nor the refund. Many students are facing similar problems,” the student alleged.
Students urged the authorities to verify the credentials of such agencies and take action against those found misleading aspiring candidates.
Education experts advised students to independently verify scholarship offers directly from universities and rely only on authorised representatives before making any payments.
Officials said students should carefully examine the authenticity of scholarship schemes, insist on written documentation and avoid transferring money without proper verification.(KNS).
