Western Kentucky University in the United States has asked 25 Indian students who were enrolled in its graduate-level computer sciences programme to return to India or seek admission in another school after the first semester ends, as they did not meet the admission standards, reported The New York Times.

James Gary, chairman of Western Kentucky’s computer science programme, said almost 40 of the students were unable to write computer programmes, a necessary criterion for admission. “If they come out of here without the ability to write programmes, that’s embarrassing to my department,” he added.

At total of 60 Indian students had enrolled for the course in January this year. The students got spot admission as well as a waiver on tuition fees during a recruitment drive in India last year. The university is now considering the plea of 15 other Indian students caught in a similar situation. If it thinks that they too are ineligible, the number of students dismissed will go up to to 40.

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The university is now considering altering its international admission process in India. In a statement, the varsity said they will henceforth send members of the computer science faculty to India to meet students before offering admission.

The chairman of the Indian Student Association at Western Kentucky University, Aditya Sharma, expressed his concern for the students, but admitted that some of them were not serious about their studies. “They could not meet their GPA (grade point average), so the university had to take this decision,” he said.

Some of these 25 students are seeking admission to graduate schools in Missouri and Tennessee, while others are considering applying to less rigorous programmes than the one at Western Kentucky. Those who are not able to find a place will have to return to India.