Fewer Indian students going abroad, while Indian institutes take their campuses overseas
Indian students are traveling abroad for education in smaller numbers, while Indian institutions are expanding their reach by establishing campuses overseas. In 2025, there were 619,264 Indians who indicated study or education as their purpose of visit abroad, down from 760,060 in 2024 and 894,758 in 2023. The data, provided by the Bureau of Immigration, shows a post-pandemic surge followed by a decline.
In 2021, the number was 445,580, rising to 752,100 in 2022 and peaking at 894,758 in 2023. The decline continued in 2024 and 2025, with a 15% drop in 2024 and an 18.5% decrease in 2025.
India's Indian students studying abroad total over 34.7 lakh, with the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom being the biggest destinations. Indian institutions are also expanding their presence abroad, with IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, and IIM Ahmedabad opening overseas campuses in Zanzibar, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, respectively. These campuses currently have a few hundred students enrolled in various programs.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
