Darbhanga Building of Calcutta University. A Telegraph picture

Lack of accommodation of an international standard has forced Calcutta University (CU) to turn down applications from a good number of overseas students.

The 150-year-old university has recently introduced a nine-month course in Indian history, politics, science, economics and culture for foreign students. And applications are pouring in, CU officials said.

But only three students from Edinburgh University have so far been enrolled for the course, scheduled to begin this September.

They are staying at the international guesthouse run by Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Gol Park, and CU can?t find room for more students.

?Several overseas universities are regularly approaching us with requests to send their students. But our problem is that we have no infrastructure to provide them with proper accommodation,? said Suranjan Das, pro vice-chancellor (academic affairs).

?The response from overseas students indicates that the content of our course is of international standard. But we are handicapped otherwise,? he added.

Institutions like University of Colorado and University of Oslo have contacted CU, saying they want to send more than three students each this year.

Other universities in the country, like Bombay, Madras and Pune, are leaving Calcutta far behind. ?These universities are getting more than 200 overseas students every year. They have their own infrastructure to provide accommodation,? an official admitted.

?Although we are celebrating 150 years of the premier university, along with Bombay and Madras universities, we have not been able to construct a students? hostel of international standard as yet,? a senior university teacher lamented.

The course was introduced by a number of universities in the country over the past three years under the University Grants Commission?s ?Study India Programme?, meant exclusively for overseas students.

The UGC has empowered each of the universities selected to run the course against collection of a suitable amount of tuition and other fees from the students.

Calcutta University has decided to charge ?100 per month per student.