The number of Indians going abroad for higher education dipped by nearly 15 per cent in 2024 as against the previous year, informed Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar in the Lok Sabha on Monday. According to a reply from the Education Minister in Parliament, in 2022, a total of 7,50,365 Indian students were studying abroad which went up to 8,92,989 in 2023: However, it dropped to 7,59,064, marking a decline of 1,33,920 students. Meanwhile, Canada has registered the sharpest decline in 2024 with only 1,37,608 Indian students studying as against 2,33,532 in 2023. Some of the reasons for this decline are tighter student visa regulations that lead to a rise in visa rejections and study permit cancellations. The diplomatic tensions between India and Canada after the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023. The downward trend extended to other popular destinations like the United States where the number of students dropped from 2,34,473 students in 2023 to 2,04,058 in 2024 (a decline of 30,415). The shift followed Donald Trump's election as US President, raising concerns over visa policies. Universities in the US have already raised concerns. Christopher Clary, Associate Professor of Political Science, University at Albany, in a post on X said: "The drop in Indian students studying in the US by 11% from 2023 to 2024 should be a cause for concern for US universities and policymakers. I suspect of some of it is a depreciating rupee against the dollar, some policy uncertainty ahead of Trump. But it’s a warning sign." Another popular country Australia too has registered a fall in number of Indians students - 78,093 in 2023 to 68,572 in 2024. Moreover, the United Kingdom has also seen a fall from 1,36,921 in 2023 to 98,890 in 2024 (a 28% drop). As per a BBC report, nearly 10,000 university jobs could be at risk this academic year. The University and College Union (UCU) said 5,000 job cuts had already been announced, but thousands more roles could be at risk because of gaps in university funding. Big gainers While numbers declined in the top 4 popular countries, Indian student enrollment increased in Russia, France, Germany, and New Zealand. In Russia, the student count rose from 19,784 in 2022 to 23,503 in 2023, reaching 31,444 in 2024. France also saw an increase, with 6,406 students in 2022 growing to 8,536 in 2024. Similarly, Germany experienced a surge from 20,684 in 2022 to 34,702 in 2024, while New Zealand recorded a significant jump from 1,605 in 2022 to 7,297 in 2024. In response to the growing number of Indian students abroad, the Indian government has implemented support measures such as the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) to assist students in emergencies and the MADAD Portal for grievance redressal, ensuring their well-being and safety while studying overseas.
