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More Indian students choosing Europe for higher education
While Indian students heading to foreign universities have declined across the top three destination countries – Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom – member states of the European Union are seeing a steady rise in the number of Indians travelling to pursue higher studies.
Canada witnessed a 32% drop, with permits falling from 2.78 lakh to 1.89 lakh, the United States saw a 34% decrease, with F1 visas dropping from 1.31 lakh to 86,110 between fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The UK on the other hand recorded a 26% reduction with sponsored student visas issued to Indians decreasing from 1.20 lakh to 88,732 during the same time period.
This reduction has come in the backdrop of tightening immigration measures including introduction of caps on student intake and restrictions on dependent visas.
On the other hand, Indian students travelling to EU member states for higher education have risen by close to 80% in the last five years.
From close to 50,000 students in 2018, the number has jumped to over 90,000 in 2023-24. While 56,255 students headed to foreign universities in the EU member states in 2018-19, this number jumped to over 90,000 by 2023-24. The figures for 2019-20 and 2022-23 were 66,385 and 84,736 respectively.
According to data from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), as of January 1, 2024, over 11.6 lakh Indian students were studying in higher education institutions abroad. While the top three destinations accounted for 31% of Indian students collectively, EU member states accounted for 8% – a figure that has steadily been rising.
'Europe is an attractive destination for Indian students because it offers diversity of programs and a richness of cultural experience. Already 90,000 Indian students are studying in Europe…this speaks for itself. With the EU India bilateral relations with India going full steam ahead, more opportunities for people to people contact will be created,' European Union Ambassador Herve Delphin told The Indian Express.
Europe has over 4,000 higher education institutions and 17.5 million tertiary education students (including college and vocational courses). It has close to 1.35 million educators and 1.17 million researchers.
EU member states also offer the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's degree (EMJMD), a scholarship awarded on a competitive basis to select students which covers tuition fee, travel costs and living allowance. Since 2004, 50,000 students have got the scholarship grant.
Among those who got the grant is 23 year old Arch.
'I was in no mood to go abroad. So, I applied to get admission in PG course in India through CUET. But that was way too competitive – to a damaging extent. Bacho ka dil toot jaata hai (kids get their heart broken because of the exam). I studied from a private university in Gujarat… I decided to take a gap year,' she told The Indian Express.
'I took a gap year for the scholarship because it's so competitive and at the same time prestigious. I was elated when I found out that I got in. I'm going to Poland and Ireland for a Masters in psychology under the Global Minds programme,' she said.
