Over 600,000 chose to study abroad in 2022
According to the data shared by the ministry, the number of students who went to study abroad showed a significant rise from 4,54,009 in 2017 to 5,86,337 in 2019. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number fell by half, reaching 2,59,655 in 2020
Mumbai: Over six lakh Indian students went abroad this year to pursue higher education according to data presented by the Union education department in the Rajya Sabha. According to this data, 4,44,553 students went overseas for higher education in 2021, and 6,46,206 students went overseas till the end of November this year.
According to the data shared by the ministry, the number of students who went to study abroad showed a significant rise from 4,54,009 in 2017 to 5,86,337 in 2019. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number fell by half, reaching 2,59,655 in 2020. In a written reply, the ministry said that the “purpose of Indians going abroad for higher education is captured manually based either on their verbal disclosure or the type of visa of the destination country produced by them at the time of immigration clearance”.
While replying to another question asked of the ministry of external affairs in the Rajya Sabha, data showed that most Indian students preferred Canada, the United States of America and the United Kingdom to pursue degree courses.
Ryan Pereira, Mumbai Regional Officer, United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) told HT that the US had provided visas to around two lakh Indian students this year. “Many students are choosing to study in the US because of the quality of education and also because they have the freedom to pick subjects of their choice,” he said.
According to the data of the Union external affairs ministry, in 2021, 1,25,115 students from India went to the US for higher education. “Graduate students from India are more likely to go to the US,” said Pereira. “These students pursue post-graduate studies in science, technology, engineering and maths. But in the last two years, Indian students have also preferred courses in the humanities stream, especially in subjects like psychology, economics and design.”
Vibha Kagzi, CEO and founder of an online education and career advisory website, said, “The quality of education and global work opportunities are the primary reasons why students choose to study abroad. Also, after the pandemic, several countries have relaxed travel restrictions, and universities are now going above and beyond to create an inclusive curriculum for their international students.”
Kagzi, while talking about students’ preferences in terms of universities, said that many preferred to pursue their higher education in North America (the USA, Canada), Europe (Germany, the UK, Spain, France, Italy, and the Netherlands), or Australia. “This is primarily due to the established and prestigious institutes located there,” she said. “However, students are now considering China, Japan and South Korea as viable education destinations due to the technological advancement and variety of courses that they offer.”
Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan asked whether the government is working on any action plan to stop this trend by developing quality higher education institutes (HEIs) in the country itself. In response, the Union minister said in a written reply that the National Education Policy lays emphasis on internationalisation of the higher education system and promotes India as a ‘global study destination’ providing premium education at an affordable cost.
“For this, a legislative framework facilitating such entry will be put in place, and such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India,” the answer said. The University Grants Commission has also announced academic collaboration between Indian and foreign universities to offer twinning programmes and joint degree and dual degree programmes.
As per the official data, the top 10 countries that opted for higher education in 2021 were the US, Canada, UK, Ukraine, Germany, Russian Federation, Kyrghystan, Bangladesh, Australia and Kazakhstan.