Indian students had begun moving away from their traditional choices for overseas education well before countries such as the United States and Canada introduced tighter visa rules to discourage foreigners, according to a Moneycontrol analysis.
Though fewer students went abroad to study in 2024 when compared to the previous year, data shows that the share of the top 10 destination countries declined to 84.7 percent, from 89.1 percent two years earlier. This suggests that students are exploring a bigger pool of countries for education.
The United States’ decision to increase scrutiny of students is still expected to have a significant impact. Despite a decline in the number of students heading to the US in 2024, its share among total student departures rose to 26.9 percent, up from 25.4 percent in 2022 and 20.9 percent in 2019, before the pandemic.
Canada, on the other hand, witnessed a different trend. Despite some relaxations, the number of Indian students choosing Canada has fallen. Its share declined from 24.8 percent in 2022 to 18.1 percent in 2024.
The United Kingdom, another popular destination, too saw a dip —from 17.7 percent to 13 percent over the same period.
Closer home
Among nearby and emerging destinations, Germany, now one of the top five choices for Indian students, has not lost its appeal.
Not only did its share of outbound students from India increase but in absolute numbers, too, it was a hit. In 2024, 34,702 Indian students went to Germany compared to 23,296 in the previous year.
Russia, despite the ongoing war and global scrutiny, also attracted more Indian students than it did in 2023.
Bangladesh, which is going through internal turbulence, rose to seventh place among student destinations in 2024. Its share of outbound students grew from 2.3 percent in both 2022 and 2023 to 3.9 percent in 2024.
In 2019, Bangladesh was ranked 11th as a destination for Indian students. For the past two years, it has attracted more students than Singapore.
Ireland also climbed in the rankings, while Central Asian republics such as Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan regained prominence among student destinations. These countries are popular for medical courses.
China saw a modest increase — from 0.3 percent two years ago to 0.6 percent in 2024.
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