New opportunities and an innate urge to broaden horizons are pushing many Indian students to gain degrees from foreign universities. However, there is a shift in the narrative for studying abroad. Though the US, the UK, and Australia continue to enjoy patronage from Indian students, Germany and France are presently leading the way when it comes to choosing study destinations.
Nearly 82% and 73% of Indian students aspire to study in Germany and France, respectively. Other countries on the preference scale include the UAE (Dubai - 50%), Finland (41%), Singapore (31%), Italy (30%), Sweden (24%), and Denmark (21%). These numbers were collated by ‘Acumen’ after a survey of more than 100 educational agencies in India.
According to the ‘Shiksha’ report, almost 63% of students had applied for postgraduate courses, 33% for both postgraduate and undergraduate courses, and a mere 4% for undergraduate courses alone. Interestingly, there is a marked decrease in the number of applications from Indian students to study in Canada, the UK, and Australia.
Applications to Canada have seen a 50% dip due to the high cost of living and a two-year temporary study permit cap. Australia witnessed a drop of 10 to 40%. The new migration policy recently announced by Britain is expected to trigger a drop of 20 to 30% in applications to study in the UK, as per the ‘Shiksha’ report.
