Greetings, Aditya.

Manipal's ICAS program is something which could be called a novelty program amongst private institutions trying to to glorify a degree. It is by no means bad or useless mind you, because the usefulness of any degree depends mostly upon the student pursuing it.

Some basic facts about ICAS:

- It is a Manipal initiative  where the student spends first 2 years of his degree program at  Manipal Academy of Higher Education  (right after 12th) and the next 2 years studying at one of the various international institutes of his choice that Manipal is affiliated to. It is an exchange degree program

- The degree you receive will be from the university abroad (which you choose)

- It is expensive, as expected, you will end up paying around 20 lacs for the first 2 year at MAHE itself and the rest of the fees is based on the university you choose (usually north of 50 lacs)

Some Pros of choosing such a program:

- If you are not much concerned with costs involved then this opportunity can be an exercise in perspective building and full of life experiences at  a pretty young age which is often a positive thing career wise as well.

- If you play your cards right and work harder than everyone else (including regular students)  then you might just get a chance to find work in the country where you did your additional 2 years from.

Some cons;

- The biggest con perhaps is the fact that, depending on your choice of international university, your credit points (earned in the first 2 years) will not fully be transferred to your new course abroad (it will be adjusted using a formula so points are lost). What this means for you is that you will likely have to work harder and score higher consistently just to catch up to the regular students abroad and then harder still to surpass them.

- ICAS does not guarantee placements abroad

- It is naturally hard to maintain your academic consistency when you have to change your whole study pattern mid way through the course. It takes time to adjust to new environment and college rules which is counterintuitive in the long run.

- Judging by the sum of money you have to spend in the ICAS program it is usually not that worth it because earning all that money back can be difficult. No matter how good a job you get earning back 1+ crore rupees is no joke (business and jobs are two vastly different games)

So I'd say make this choice based on:

- Your plans for the future

- Family Financial Stability

- Your track record of hard work and academic results (if you are an average student and not that hard working then you might just waste at least 1 year trying to learn all that which won't turn out in your favor, frankly speaking.)

- Options available to you.

Alternatives: If you really are keen on going abroad then appear for SATs and score well in them, you may also get a scholarship. It is always best to finish the whole course at one place.

- Try going for PG courses after finishing your under graduation from India itself. Appear for GRE and go to better universities than what Manipal is offering. Go to Harvard, Yale, etc. Point is - aim higher if you really have to aim. Spending 1 crore at Harvard is always better than 1 crore at Manipal.

I hope you got some level of clarity,

Best of luck for your future. Good day!