Union Ministry of Education informed Parliament in February that the year 2022 saw around 7.5 lakh Indian students going abroad for higher education. The number has increased drastically from 4.5 lakhs in 2017 and 2.6 lahks in the pandemic year of 2020.
In 2022, India also surpassed China to become the country with the most number of international students in the United States. According to the Union Ministry of External Affairs, the total number of countries with Indian students is 240 which includes Canada, Australia, the UK, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, Russia, etc.
Top countries preferred by Indian students:
- Canada- With more than 3 lakh Indian students, Canada is one of the top countries with Indian students, who constitute 34% of the country's population. The number of students traveling to Canada has increased over the years and only came down during the pandemic.
- United Kingdom- Another major study destination for Indian students and recently, the numbers have increased. In 2019, the country offered 34,261 visas while in 2022, the number reached 1.4 lakhs. The country also offers post-study work visa which provides Indian students with the opportunity to work even after the completion of their studies, however, recent reports from the country inform that the government is mulling over to end the visa scheme.
- United States- According to Open Doors 2022 Report there was a nearly 20% surge in the number of Indian students studying in the United States during the academic year of 2021-2022, with a total of 199,182 students enrolled. Most of these Indian students work in American technology companies after their graduation.
- Ukraine- Another important country for Indians to study medicine, but after the Russian invasion of Ukraine the number of students enrolling in Ukrainian colleges is expected to come down.
- China- Despite the hostility in relations between the countries, China is another major destination for medical studies and thousands of Indian students study in the country.
Apart from the above countries, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany also account for a chunk of Indian students.