Indian students going abroad for higher education recorded a six-year high in 2022 at 750,365, according to the education ministry data submitted in Parliament on Monday.
The number of students going overseas has increased by a significant 68% in comparison to 444,553 students going abroad in 2021, the data showed. The number of students choosing to study abroad showed a significant rise from 454,009 in 2017 to 517,998 in 2018 and 586,337 in 2019.
UGC chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar said that globally more students are migrating to foreign countries for education. “Therefore, not just for Indian students but globally, the migration of students is on the rise. In 2014, there were about 200 million students in higher education institutions globally.”
“By 2030, this number is going to double. A significant percentage of these students is going to be Indians. In addition to looking for study opportunities in the best Indian institutes, they will also go abroad for higher studies,” he said.
Kumar said that inviting foreign universities to set up their campuses in India is not aimed at reducing the number of students who go abroad. “It is their free choice, and they will continue to go for the experience of working in a different country and the subsequent job opportunities abroad.