• Historically, Indian students preferred destinations such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, primarily for courses in engineering, medicine, management, and research.
• Factors like quality education, global exposure, better employment prospects, and post-study work opportunities drove this outward mobility.
•  Elite institutions and strong diaspora networks further reinforced these preferences.

• In recent years, non-traditional destinations such as Germany, Ireland, France, New Zealand, Japan, and Eastern European countries have gained popularity.
• Lower tuition fees, affordable living costs, simplified visa norms, English-taught programs, and favourable immigration policies have contributed to this diversification.
• Meanwhile, tightening visa rules, rising racism concerns, and high costs in traditional destinations have caused some decline or stagnation.

• Earlier, overseas education was largely accessible to affluent urban students.
• Today, students from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities increasingly seek foreign education, often relying on education loans.
•  Migration is no longer limited to postgraduate studies; diploma and vocational courses are also attracting students seeking quicker entry into global job markets.

• The limited capacity of quality higher education institutions, intense competition, outdated curricula, and weak industry-academia linkage in India continue to push students abroad.
• Despite reforms like the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, implementation gaps persist, reinforcing the perception that global education offers better skill alignment and career outcomes.

• Student migration is increasingly employment-driven. Countries facing ageing populations and skill shortages actively attract Indian students as a future workforce.
• STEM, healthcare, data science, and green technology courses dominate preferences, reflecting evolving global labour demands.

• The rising trend also raises concerns about brain drain, student exploitation by unregulated agents, high indebtedness, and vulnerability to sudden policy changes abroad.
• Instances of deportations, job insecurity, and safety concerns highlight the risks associated with large-scale student migration.

• India is attempting to reverse and rebalance mobility by internationalising its own campuses.
• Initiatives allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India, promoting global collaborations, improving digital education, and strengthening research ecosystems aim to make India an education hub rather than merely a supplier of students.

Download Pdf