Fewer Indians Are Going Abroad to Study, While IITs and IIMs Take Education Overseas

 

The number of Indians travelling abroad for education has declined for the second consecutive year, even as leading Indian higher education institutions are expanding their presence overseas through international campuses.

According to data provided by the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), 6,19,264 Indians declared study or education as their purpose of travel while leaving the country in 2025. The figure was 7,60,060 in 2024 and 8,94,758 in 2023, which was the highest in the five-year period.

The data shows a sharp post-pandemic recovery followed by a sustained decline in student departures.

In 2021, 4,45,580 Indians travelled abroad with study or education as their declared purpose. The number increased to 7,52,100 in 2022 before reaching 8,94,758 in 2023.

The trend reversed in 2024, when student departures fell by around 15% from the previous year. In 2025, the decline became steeper, with departures dropping by approximately 18.5% to 6.19 lakh.

Overall, more than 34.7 lakh Indians declared education as their purpose of overseas travel between 2021 and 2025.

Post-Covid surge gives way to decline

The five-year figures broadly divide into two phases. The first was marked by the reopening of international education after the Covid-19 pandemic, when student mobility surged from 4.46 lakh in 2021 to 7.52 lakh in 2022 and nearly 8.95 lakh in 2023.

The second phase began in 2024, with overseas student departures falling below eight lakh and declining further in 2025.

The latest figure is around 2.76 lakh lower than the 2023 peak. However, it remains approximately 1.74 lakh higher than the 2021 figure.

The government has not attributed the decline to a single factor. The Ministry of Education has said that students' decisions to study abroad depend on several considerations, including affordability, access to finance, exposure to foreign societies and aptitude for a particular field of study.

Annual departures do not represent total students abroad

The number of Indians travelling abroad for education in a particular year should not be confused with the total number of Indian students already pursuing studies overseas.

An earlier government dataset dated January 2025 recorded 18,82,318 Indian students studying abroad. Of these, 12,54,013 were enrolled in universities or other tertiary institutions, while 6,28,305 were studying in schools.

Among university and tertiary-level students, Canada was the largest destination, with 4,27,085 Indian students. The United States followed with 2,55,247, while the United Kingdom had 1,73,190.

Together, the three countries accounted for more than 8.55 lakh Indian students in universities and tertiary institutions in the dataset.

This concentration also means that changes in visa rules, education policies, tuition fees and living costs in major destinations can significantly influence Indian student mobility.

Indian institutes expand overseas

While fewer Indians are travelling abroad for education, Indian higher education institutions are increasingly establishing campuses outside the country.

IIT Madras opened its Zanzibar campus in 2023, followed by IIT Delhi's Abu Dhabi campus in 2024 and IIM Ahmedabad's Dubai campus in 2025.

IIM Ahmedabad's Dubai campus launched a one-year full-time MBA programme in September 2025 and had 35 students.

IIT Madras reported that 35 students had graduated with MTech degrees from its Zanzibar campus, while more than 100 students were enrolled in its BS programmes.

IIT Delhi's Abu Dhabi campus offers nine undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes and had 171 students during the 2025-26 academic year.

These numbers remain small compared with the millions of Indian students who pursue education overseas. However, the expansion marks a significant shift in India's higher education landscape.

The trend increasingly works in two directions: Indian students continue to seek global education opportunities abroad, while India's leading institutions are beginning to take Indian higher education programmes to international markets.