First decline in Indian higher-ed enrolment abroad after three years of growth: MEA

India’s latest official records show that the number of students studying abroad has crossed 18 lakh, with the Ministry of External Affairs presenting updated figures in Parliament during the winter session.

The data lists 1,882,318 Indian students across 153 countries, including 1,254,013 enrolled in universities and other tertiary institutions and, for the first time, 628,305 school students.

The MEA had reported 13.3 lakh higher education students overseas last year, indicating that the 2025 university-level count marks a year-on-year decline.

The total number appears larger only because school data has been included for the first time, significantly changing the overall profile.

According to the latest figures, the top destinations for Indian students across schooling and higher education in 2025 were the United States with 255,447 students, the United Arab Emirates with 253,832 students, and Canada with 427,085 students. These three continued to be the largest hubs for Indian learners globally.

The data also highlights that the number of Indian students in higher education abroad rose steadily between 2022 and 2024, growing from 7.5 lakh in 2022 to 9.3 lakh in 2023 and reaching 13.3 lakh in 2024.

The 2025 count of 12.54 lakh breaks this upward trend and marks the first drop after three consecutive years of growth.

This slowdown comes during a period of shifting immigration policies and diplomatic developments in major destination countries.

For higher education alone, Canada remained the top host with 427,085 students. The United States followed with 255,247, and the United Kingdom recorded 173,190 Indian students.

Australia had 138,579 students, while Germany hosted 49,483. Countries such as Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia also continued to attract Indian students, especially in medical and technical programs.

A large portion of the newly reported school-level numbers came from the Gulf region, reflecting the sizable Indian diaspora.

The UAE registered 247,325 school students, Saudi Arabia 75,000, Qatar 47,846, Kuwait 50,000, and Oman 44,547.

These figures show that school enrollments account for a major share of students in several Gulf countries.

The addition of school data has significantly altered cumulative country totals. In the UAE, for instance, only 6,507 students were enrolled in universities in 2025.

The country’s high overall figure is driven almost entirely by school admissions, pushing its total to 253,832. A similar pattern appears in Qatar, where school students form the bulk of the 49,346 total.

Meanwhile, countries such as Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany continue to be dominated by higher education enrollments, with very few Indian school students.

The dip in 2025 higher education numbers may be linked to multiple developments over the past two years, including the India–Canada diplomatic dispute that began in 2023, visa policy uncertainties in the US, and tighter study and dependent visa rules in the UK.

Australia also adopted stricter financial and verification checks, slowing intake growth for international students.

The MEA figures suggest that while the overall student count abroad has risen due to the inclusion of school data, the core trend for university-level mobility points to a decline after years of steady expansion.