Don’t let Australia's proposed cap on global students affect your study abroad plans, consider these 3 alternatives

Don't let Australia's proposed law to cap intake of global students deter your study abroad plans. Here are three alternative countries that you can consider.

Australia, apart from being globally renowned for its natural landscapes, wildlife or the Opera House in Sydney among others, is also a favourite destination among international students who seek to study abroad, particularly those from India.

If you worried that Australia's proposed law to cap intake of global students may deter your study abroad plans. consider the three other countries that are also home to some of the world's high-ranking universities. (Photo credits: Shutterstock.com)

According to the data shared by the High Commission of India in Canberra, India is the second-largest source country for international student enrolments in Australia. It further pointed out that a total of 1,22,391 Indian students were studying in Australia in January-September 2023 period.

However, traveling to Australia for academic purposes may not be an easy process for international students moving forward as the country is planning to cap foreign students to 270,000 in 2025 as part of a migration crackdown. Through the proposed law, the Australian government plans to take the number of new international students across higher education and vocational training back to pre-pandemic levels, a Bloomberg report cited.

Given the circumstances, it is advisable that Indian students also consider alternatives to Australia if they are planning to study abroad and earn a degree of their choice. In this article, we will look at some other countries in the Asia-Pacific region that are home to high-ranking universities as per the recently released Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025.

China

Among the countries in the Asia-Pacific region that boast of high-ranking institutes is China. Two of the most popular universities in China are as follows:

• Tsinghua University is ranked 12th best world university as per THE World University Rankings 2025. The overall score of Tsinghua University is 92.5.
• Peking University is ranked 13th best world university by THE World University Rankings 2025. Located in Beijing, Perking University has an overall THE score of 92.

Japan

Another country with top-ranking universities is Japan which is fast becoming one of the top destinations for students especially from India, not only for its proximity but also for the simplicity of the country’s visa policies. The top-ranking universities in Japan include the following:

• The University of Tokyo is ranked 28 and secured an overall score 83.3 in the THE World University Rankings 2025. The university offers several courses across academic disciplines to undergraduate as well as graduate students.
• Kyoto University, touted to be one of the oldest education institutions in Japan, secured a rank of 55 and scored 75.2 in THE World University Rankings 2025.

South Korea

South Korea too has emerged as a popular study abroad destination. Besides its high-tech infrastructure, the country is also home to some of the top educational institutes. These are as follows:

• Seoul National University, located in Seoul’s Gwanak, is ranked 62nd among the world's top universities by the THE. The university has an overall score of 73.5.
• Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), located in Daejeon, is touted to be South Korea’s first public, research-oriented science and engineering institution. It is ranked 82nd in the THE World University Rankings 2025 with an overall score of 82.