The number of student suicides in the northern Indian city of Kota has led to tighter regulations for coaching centres.

Twenty-one-year-old Vijay (not his real name) has failed the medical college entrance exam three times. In the north Indian state of Rajasthan, he had hoped to pass the test by studying at an expensive coaching center in Kota.

Kota had long been seen as the land of dreams by Vijay, as well as many other students.

A large number of billboards display the names, pictures, and rankings of successful pupils around the city. There are more than 200,000 students here studying, some as young as 13. They live in hostels and privately rented accommodations.

Education centers are well known for preparing young people to take India’s highly competitive entrance exams to top medical and engineering schools.

It is a source of pride for Indian parents to send their children to these elite colleges, and failure is frowned upon. Most Indian institutes charge more than 100,000 rupees ($1,200, £1,000) per year, a large sum for most families.

Vijay’s family lives in the countryside and is not wealthy. He feared disappointing his parents because his father is a farmer.

In the past, he confesses to lying about his poor test results to his parents.

At one point, his growing anxiety caused him headaches and chest pains and he came close to ending his life after failing his second exam.

He explains, “The situation triggered my suicidal thoughts, but I kept them to myself.”