Over 7.5 lakh students went abroad for higher studies last year, compared to 4,44,553 in 2021, with the most preferred destinations being the US, Canada and the UK. The dip in COVID-19 cases and the lifting of travel restrictions played a major role. In 2020, only 2,59,655 students went abroad for studies, as per the information shared by the Ministry of Education in Parliament, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
Though in 2020 and 2021, travel came to a halt due to the pandemic, the US, Canada and the UK continued to draw students. In 2022, 7,50,365 students went abroad, with the maximum – at 1,90,512 – heading to the US. In 2021, 1,25,115 students went to the US, compared to 62,415 in 2020. Canada, the second most preferred destination, attracted 43,624 students in 2020 and 1,02,688 in 2021. The number went up to 1,85,955 in 2022.
The UK – which has always been a sought-after destination for Indian students – attracted 1,32,709 students in 2022, compared to 77,855 in 2021 and 44,901 in 2020. Australia too continued to attract Indian students, with 59,044 students preferring its higher institutes in 2022. The number stood at 8,950 in 2021 and 33,629 in 2020.
Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Russia, Singapore, Philippines, Kazakhstan, France, Italy, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Netherlands and New Zealand were the other countries that Indian students preferred for higher studies in 2022.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, University Grants Commission Chairman Prof M Jagadesh Kumar said that the number of students who wish to go abroad will continue to increase because India has a large number of students who wish to pursue a university education. “However, students who wish to stay in India but study at a foreign university campus in India will benefit from the UGC regulations,” he said, referring to the recent UGC draft notification that will facilitate the establishment of campuses of foreign higher education institutions in India.
