67% female candidates say financing overseas education remains challenging: Survey

When the survey probed the education partners, 60 percent of education consultants answered that there has been a considerable rise in the number of women applying for study abroad programs from India.

67 percent of female candidates said that finances could come in the way of their study abroad planning, according to a survey of over 1,200 students and more than 250 education consultants by Canada-based edtech firm M Square Media (MSM).

The financial challenges include a lack of information about scholarships, grants and access to various monetary benefits, etc. The lengthy visa process and wait time (17 percent) were the second biggest challenge, as per the ‘MSM Unify survey’.

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What is striking is that 11 percent of women respondents believed that personal safety can be a challenge when planning to study in another country. This concern stands out because, in 2024, when diversity and inclusion are a big agenda in most developed countries - personal safety concerns should ostensibly be lower.

To be sure, among the students, 65 percent of respondents were women, and the remaining 35 percent were men. Among the survey group, 65 percent were already exploring options to study abroad.

When the survey probed the education partners, 60 percent of education consultants answered that there has been a considerable rise in the number of women applying for study abroad programs from India. When asked about shift in Indian families’ views on women studying abroad, 76 percent of education consultants noted a change, while 24 percent saw no difference.

The key driver for women studying abroad is greater awareness of global educational opportunities, say education consultants.