The most recent national statistics indicate that there has been a significant rise in the number of Indian students going abroad for studies, with almost 7.5 lakh students going in 2022 (Hindustan Times). Furthermore, the Ministry of External Affairs estimates a total of 13.2 lakh students enrolled in programs all over the world in the last year. The last decade has seen a remarkable shift in Indian families, where going abroad to study has become an aspiration not only in the urban setup, but also in the rural communities.
A few years ago, universities received most applications from Tier 1 cities, such as Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, but now Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities all over the country are applying in large volumes. This growth in the number of applications abroad is influenced by a lot of factors.
One of these factors is the accessibility to global universities; all the information is easily available online, the application process is easy and the world is connected through a large number of airline connections. You can reach any part of the world within just a few hours and at the click of a button. Globalization has brought India infinitely closer to other countries, where most of us now have friends or families who have already migrated for work or education.
Social media also has a large part to play in this cosmopolitan trend, as now we are able to witness the lives of our peers who are moving abroad for their studies. Their life in the USA, Europe, Canada and Australia looks infinitely more appealing for its quality and standards, and this inspires most families in India. The old American dream is still alive, as a vast majority of student applications are for universities based in the US. Students aspire to not only study at prestigious American universities, but also to get a job and settle down there.
There is also a radical shift in the courses students are pursuing at these international universities; while earlier, a majority of the Indians abroad were Engineering or Medicine students, now students are enrolling for liberal arts, creative arts, humanities, social sciences, sports and so much more. There is also a realization that the international market values these career options more than India, where liberal arts may not hold as much weightage as Engineering or Medicine does even today.
Studying abroad is definitely a promising career step in your life! So, if you are a student wishing to move abroad, we wish you all the best with your journey!
Dr. Jinal Joshi