A High Degree of Crowdfunding: Why scores of Indian students are seeking donations to study abroad

Image for representational purpose only. Photo: istock

For Delhi-based Sushant Singh, crowdfunding is the only way to raise roughly Rs 28 lakh which he needs to pursue a Master's in Human Rights Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London, where he was accepted last year. In 2020, after his scholarship was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he had to defer the course. This is about more than just a degree for Singh. Gaining global exposure and expertise in human rights will boost the 28-year-old's ongoing efforts to uplift the marginalised community in rural Uttar Pradesh's Madhogarh (Bulandshahr), from where he hails.

"I am from a Dalit background and the first in my family and village who has been able to study up to this level together with my sister who just did her MD in Homeopathy. I chose human rights over a corporate job because if I get the opportunity, I will give back what I owe to my society. I have been trying to make a bigger impact at each level, not just for my family but the whole community. It is my duty and if I don't do it, it feels as if I am betraying my community," he says. The LLB degree-holder from the National Law University has been assisting Indian students whose English is weak with their curriculum, as well as creating legal awareness among government school kids. He also takes up cases pro-bono for people from underprivileged backgrounds.

Singh is among several dozens of young students from India, many of whom are first-generation learners and from marginalised backgrounds, who are aiming for better opportunities by pursuing higher education. While the 2020 academic year went topsy-turvy for most looking to study further, they seem to be trying everything to make it possible this time around. Because putting together the finances for studying abroad is one of the major hurdles in the process, a large number of them are opting for a previously unconventional but recently popular route of crowdfunding. Most have resorted to this after weighing their assets and exhausting all other funding options, many of which typically favour commercially-appealing degrees.

Delhi-based Sushant Singh started crowdfunding for his education a week ago, along with many other students in India looking to study abroad. Photo: Sushant Singh

The need for alternative financial aid
Students have been using platforms like Ketto.org and Milaap.org to appeal for funds. Their numbers have increased in the last three years. Zaheer Adenwala, CTO and co-founder explains, "Ketto has hosted over 3.2 lakh fundraisers to date, of which 50,000 are education-related fundraisers. However, due to increasing awareness around crowdfunding, we have recorded 100 percent growth in 2019, and during the pandemic, between 2020 and 21, we have registered 300 percent growth in education fundraisers."

Studying abroad, where there are more and progressive avenues for learning, is aspirational. However, most cannot afford it due to low family income, savings, and daily expenses, which cannot be ignored due to the rising cost of living, especially in metros. Bengaluru-based Vignesh Shanmugam, a Christ University graduate who worked in a corporate law firm until July 2020, is looking to pursue a Master's in Innovation, Technology & Law from the University of Edinburgh. He says, "I am pursuing education abroad because in India the Master's in law even in the best universities is very restricted and there is no option for fields like technology." The 25-year-old says he chose technology law to understand how data will be used and how it can be protected from being exploited. With data concerns gaining importance, he reckoned his request would gain public support.

Scholarships, Shanmugam says, are extremely limited and competitive. "It became difficult for me to see these as viable options. I started looking at bank loans and student loans but for that you have to provide a collateral of a particular value and I wasn't able to provide that either. I have also looked an unsecured loan and through companies which provide student loans without collateral but the challenge with that is the tie-ins with universities, and it is usually with business courses. The other option was of getting a loan without security, which needs a co-borrower who has a stable income and that was difficult for me too," says the aspirant, who lives with his mother.

Crowdfunding amid Covid-19
With the time to confirm admission fast approaching, friends, family, and strangers are busy sharing their appeals. "Most of the people who are in my circle are from my community and they do not have the donating capacity themselves, so I really need to reach out to more people to be able to collect the money, the deadline for which is in few weeks," says Singh. He has been able to secure 21 per cent of his goal so far. "My target is the tuition fee and the living expenses. I am not asking for living expenses right now because tuition fee is more important to secure my seat," he explains, adding he will take a personal loan or work part-time for the latter.

Shanmugam meanwhile was heartened when batchmates who haven't spoken to him in years got in touch and juniors organised workshops to collect money. He is still a little less than halfway towards the Rs 30 lakhs he needs to cover a significant part of tuition and accommodation, but funding has stagnated. "I have saved enough money on my own that can cover quite an amount of my own accommodation, visa expenses, and flight charges. If this doesn't work out, I will have to defer it to the next academic year," he informs.

Although crowdfunding is relatively more democratic, both aspirants say it has not been easy to ask for aid given the difficulties of the current situation. Singh is appealing to only those who have the privilege to contribute after donations to various Covid-19 causes, as he says, "There can be no alternative to the right to life." Shanmugam has been suffering from anxiety during this process. He opines that people who crowdfund rarely do it for something that is not meaningful. He has simultaneously been directing people to more important causes including Covid-19 donation and towards fundraisers of those from less privileged backgrounds.

Unfortunately, some have experienced the darker aspects of making public requests for funding. Ansab Ali Khan, a 22-year-old student, journalist and activist, from Aligarh Muslim University, who had dreamed of pursuing his MA Journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London, released a statement saying he is closing a fundraiser because his family and friends had received abuse, harassment and threats from the time he started it. This affected his mental health and Khan said he will be returning the money to his donors.

Crowdfunding education seems to be the way forward for many but there is always a possibility of them not getting the whole funding in time. Singh is prepared for that eventuality, with a plan to defer admission and try again next year. Dr. Karan Gupta, founder, Karan Gupta Education Foundation advises that students who do not secure need-based financial aid or merit-based scholarships or even crowdfunding, can apply for loans. "State banks in India give loans that can cover nearly the entire cost of studying abroad. In some cases, students are eligible to get loans from foreign universities and foreign banks at low interest rates. Students should explore these options as well," he says.

Apart from the inadequate and prohibitive nature of traditional forms of funding, what has also become clear to applicants in recent years is the severe lack of access and know-how among first-generation and marginalised students. Their challenges begin much before paying the fees. Singh, having faced them himself, explains, "There is no counsellor to help me on a very basic level. They also say to fill the form but nobody explains how it needs to be done but I was lucky because my friends helped me out. So, I thought of helping other people and currently, a few of us conduct regular sessions with around 150 students online to help everybody achieve their dream." The experience has added another dimension to his social endeavours.

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