New Delhi — Students who graduate from India’s three-year universities could soon be eligible for admission to American graduate schools, according to the Daily News & Analysis, an Indian newspaper.

World Education Services, one of the largest foreign-credential evaluators for American and Canadian universities, has revised its assessment of India’s three-year undergraduate degrees, putting those rated A or higher by a national accreditor on par with American undergraduate programs. Until now, students in India needed to complete 16 years of academic work to be eligible for admission to graduate programs in the United States.

The move could sharply increase the already-high number of Indian students who apply to American universities. College graduates who now go abroad usually complete a year of a master’s-degree program in order to qualify for admission.

“This will help students gain full credit for their Indian education and save them an extra year of course work, which some students undertake to meet the requirement of 16 years of education for admission to U.S. universities,” Rahul Choudaha, associate director of World Education Services, told the newspaper.

According to the newspaper, American institutions such as Carnegie Mellon University and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College are now prepared to consider applications from Indian candidates with three-year undergraduate degrees if they graduated from universities rated A or higher by India’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council, and if they have good examination grades.

The newspaper quoted several Indian undergraduates as cheering the change, but one higher-education counselor issued a word of caution. “Though it is a positive signal for Indian graduates, it will take some time for all American and Canadian universities to recognize our degrees,” said the counselor, Anjali Vanage. —Shailaja Neelakantan