An educational trust of Mumbai will provide service and guidance to Indian students seeking admission in universities and colleges of the US, officials associated with the centre said here Saturday.

The Narsee Monjee Educational Trust (NMET) will play the role of a connect centre of over 150 schools of higher education from the the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a US state.

"The centre will offer Indian students a unique service to match each student's individual talents, interests and learning styles to the schools best suited for them," Philadelphia's Mayor Michael A. Nutter was quoted as saying in a release here.

Called the American Education Center, it will function at the Jamnabai Narsee School in Vile Parle in northwest Mumbai, under the aegis of Narsee Monjee Center for Excellence.

Kanika Choudhary will be representing Philadelphia and its Mayor Michael A. Nutter in the country. She will be the city's honorary ambassador to India.

Sujay Jairaj, the NMET Trustee and initiator of the Narsee Monjee Centre of Excellence said that the idea was to provide students and their families a database of relevant information required to apply for studies abroad.

"It has pained us over the years to see educated families aspiring for bright futures for their children, get swindled by touts and agents who claim to represent universities. We are committed to running the centre as a non-profit making centre," Jairaj said.

Prominent schools here include Carnegie Mellon, Drexel, Penn State University, University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore, among others.

Kanika Choudhary, a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, has returned repeatedly to India over the past thirty months to share her enthusiasm for Philadelphia and the opportunities awaiting other Indian students who also choose Philadelphia for their education.

Nutter, in the statement from US, congratulated the NMET for its foresight and generosity in opening the centre.