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Time of India
11-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
India-Pakistan tensions make many rethink study-abroad plans
Amidst heightened India-Pakistan tensions, the education-abroad market initially faced uncertainty as parents reconsidered plans due to safety and financial concerns. While the ceasefire offers some relief, anxieties persist, prompting families to weigh alternative options. Experts advise against hasty decisions, emphasizing long-term aspirations and financial preparedness, though some consultants foresee limited impact on study abroad numbers. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: The education-abroad market may see a hit in the short term as many parents and students are reconsidering their foreign study plans due to concerns over safety, travel and even finance amid the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, said experts. They don't expect the ceasefire that the two countries announced on Saturday to immediately alter the sentiment. Education consultants have been flooded with queries over the past few days from people considering study-abroad options. With a ceasefire in place, the apprehensions may ease a bit but not disappear until normalcy is restored, they said."While the ceasefire brings temporary relief, uncertainty still prevails. Over the past 72 hours, we've seen a surge in queries—families are increasingly asking whether to proceed with study-abroad plans or explore alternative options,' said Adarsh Khandelwal, cofounder of Collegify, a college-admissions they said, many parents were reconsidering study-abroad plans for their children due to worries about the potential financial hit as a fallout of the conflict.A businessman from a tier-2 city, whose daughter was set to go abroad this year, has instead decided to send her to an Indian university because his income was 'not guaranteed anymore' and consider a master's degree abroad depending on the situation then. However, with the ceasefire in place, these plans may shift again, he told advises against making hasty decisions. 'Our advice to students and families is not to abandon long-term aspirations because of short-term disruptions. Plan smartly and build financial buffers,' said people may now wait for more clarity before making a decision, said education consultants.'Until the conflict is completely resolved there could be short-term dips in study abroad applications, particularly among economically vulnerable families,' said Nikhil Jain, founder of ForeignAdmits Travel disruptions and economic strain could make studying abroad less affordable, he parents may also see studying abroad as a way to ensure their children's safety and protection from any future disruptions in India, said conflicts may have an impact on people's earnings and their capability to pay, according to Kamlesh Vyas, partner, Deloitte India. "We may have situations where parents can no longer afford foreign education (in case things worsen),' he with the ceasefire in place, some students who have firmed up plans to study abroad are advancing their travel some consultants, like study abroad platform Career Mosaic, do not see any significant impact on the number of Indian students planning to study abroad. 'While students are aware of the geopolitical situation, they continue to prioritise their long-term academic and career objectives,' said Career Mosaic founder Abhijit are largely sticking to their plans, he said, adding: 'In case tensions rise, we anticipate the impact on India's study abroad market would be limited and temporary.'The real impact of this on Indian students wanting to go abroad would only be visible in the coming weeks and months, said experts.
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Australia may turn less welcoming to international students
Live Events With both major political parties signalling tougher stances on immigration and international education, the outcome of the electoral dead heat Down Under will likely shape decisions for thousands of Indian students willing to trade hemispheres for a brighter future, according to study abroad experts.'All eyes are on the federal elections in Australia,' said Ravi Lochan Singh, managing director of Global Reach, a study abroad consultancy based out of Australia. 'Immigration and international student numbers are a big discussion point. Both key parties are of the view that international arrival numbers, in terms of migrants, need to be controlled.'Australia is holding general elections on Saturday. The current Labor government's push for tighter controls and caps on the intake of international students and the opposition Liberal's hard-line rhetoric around a housing crisis, visa fees and more stringent caps have sent chills through the international education sector.(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)'There's definitely growing unease,' said Adarsh Khandelwal, founder of study abroad platform Collegify. '(Leader of opposition) Peter Dutton's comments linking international students to the housing crisis really struck a nerve. Add to that proposed cap on student enrolments and sharp visa fee hikes, and the message to students is starting to feel more exclusionary than welcoming.'He points to the 2025 student enrolment cap, the recent visa fee spike (from 710 Australian dollars to 1,600 Australian dollars, with another hike to 2,000 Australian dollars on the horizon), and the risk of mid-course policy changes as causes of anxiety—particularly for students in IT, engineering and nursing who are banking on permanent enrolment cap, proposed to be set at 270,000, was seen as a knee-jerk response by the Labor government after it received flak for allowing the international student population to nearly double under its others watching the political play unfold, the sense of a broader cultural shift is hard to ignore.'There is a rise in right-wing protectionism, isolation, even racism and xenophobia, across the world, particularly in the Western world, which also includes Australia,' said Vinu Warrier, founder of education consultancy EduVelocity. 'It is a crisis where the world is changing rapidly, jobs and careers are changing rapidly, and the first scapegoats are immigrants, and Indians are more visible immigrants when it comes to the volume of international students.'According to the Australian government's Department of Education (DoE), Indians were the second largest student cohort in 2024 at 139,038, behind Chinese students (189,282).'Migration, and students by extension, have become political shorthand for broader concerns—overstretched infrastructure, rising costs and cultural anxieties. Students are an easy target: they're visible, their numbers have grown quickly, and they tie into the migration stats politicians like to cite,' said Khandelwal of the nervousness, the demand story remains intact.'We haven't seen any dip in student housing demand for Australia,' said Saurabh Arora, founder of University Living. 'In fact, our 2025 accommodation leads are higher than last year.'According to his firm's recent report, international students account for nearly 76% of housing demand in cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, underlining their economic footprint in the broader housing and part-time labour market ecosystem. He said: 'When discussions around infrastructure, migration or housing come up, it's natural that such a large and visible group takes the centre stage in the national narrative.'There were 853,045 international students studying in Australia in 2024, up 9% from the year before, as per DoE so, the signals are mixed. 'International students are part of a broader national conversation around migration, infrastructure and housing supply,' said Piyush Kumar, regional director for IDP Education. 'It's not about targeting them per se, but about maintaining a sustainable migration framework.'There has already been a slight dip in application numbers over the past 8-9 months, according to if the political winds shift further, international students, excluded from the ballot, could begin voting with their feet.
