Record number of Indian students heading to study abroad, sharp surge in enrolment in these areas

Leading study abroad advisors have informed that this fall will see a record number of Indian students studying abroad. The research states that this is due to several factors, including an increase in applicants from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, and a rise in the number of students interested in studying abroad. This comes at a time when international organizations are directing more resources toward India and providing more scholarship opportunities.

According to the research, the record number of Indian students applying to universities overseas coincides with a decline in applications from Chinese students.

"The competition for talent from India has increased multifold after the pandemic," Akshay Chaturvedi, CEO of study abroad portal Leverage Edu, told ET. "So scholarships and bursaries have increased as well."

The number of students enrolling for the autumn semester, according to some consultants, has increased by a factor of two or three from the previous year, and many of these new students are coming from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Executive Director of Collegify Adarsh Khandelwal told ET, "The number of students going for the fall session has doubled since last year."

IDP Education's regional director for South Asia and Mauritius, Piyush Kumar, told ET that this year's incoming Indian college students to the United States "have been incredible; the number has increased, and probably more than pre-pandemic year." Twenty-five to thirty percent of American students have enrolled from Tier 2 or Tier 3 cities.

Another advisor After seeing a decline in students from China, several colleges have turned their attention to students from India, according to Sumeet Jain, co-founder of the study abroad consultancy Yocket. We've seen a dramatic increase in the number of Indian pupils.

The administration of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, United Kingdom, has agreed to adopt a fee increase for student visas and visitors' or tourists' visas beginning on October 4. The British government has declared that beginning October 1, 2018, tourists from all over the world, including Indians, will have to pay an additional 1,543 (£15) for a UK Tourist Visa valid for stays of less than six months, and 13,070 (£127) for a UK Student Visa.

It was announced earlier this month that Canada's student visa scheme would be undergoing significant changes. As of 2024, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) student visa program will reportedly use a new Trusted Institution framework. This structure is an important part of a bigger plan to update the IRCC's International Student Program (ISP).

Just last month, France announced plans to welcome 30,000 Indian students by 2030 in an effort to encourage academic excellence, strengthen cultural ties, and cement a lifelong friendship between the two countries. While Prime Minister Modi was in Paris, the government unveiled many new programs designed to provide a "red carpet" treatment to Indian students and graduates. The embassy and the French Institute have announced the 'Choose France Tour 2023' in response to the proposal. Education fairs are being hosted in four major Indian cities by the French government and Campus France: Chennai (8 October), Calcutta (11 October), Delhi (13 October), and Mumbai (15 October). The French Embassy in India has announced a college expo that would give Indian students and their families "an excellent opportunity to interact with the representatives of more than 40 French higher education institutions present at the fair" and learn about their many educational opportunities in France.