Influx of international students in India surges to record high post-COVID

The Study in India (SII) Portal, a key initiative for the internationalization of Indian education, has achieved a record enrollment of 72,218 students from 200 countries for the academic year 2024-25.

After a steady increase in numbers since 2014-15, followed by a sharp decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government's renewed, multifaceted efforts appear to have yielded positive results this year.

In 2011-12, there were 16,410 international students in India, which increased to 34,774 by 2014-15. The number rose to 47,575 in 2016-17 and surpassed 49,000 in 2019-20.

However, according to government sources, the numbers fell back to roughly 2014-15 levels during and after COVID-19.

The Study in India program, launched in 2018 as a flagship project by the Ministry of Education, aimed to position India as a top education destination for overseas students.

However, these efforts appeared to have limited success, and the project seemed to be falling short of its objectives.

“COVID had a major impact on education worldwide, and the impact on India was no different,” said a senior Ministry of Education (MoE) official.

In Aug 2023, the government relaunched the Study in India (SII) Portal, a centralized application and visa tool for international students.

“India is actively reclaiming its historic role as a global education hub, reminiscent of ancient institutions like Takshashila and Nalanda,” said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

“With the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 at its core, the government is driving the internationalization of education by aligning curricula with global standards, fostering research collaborations, and facilitating academic exchanges to position the country as a global knowledge leader,” he added.

For the academic year 2024–2025, the portal received more than 72,218 applications from 200 countries, including 310 public universities and more than 8,000 courses across 638 institutions.

“This represents a significant step toward making India a preferred global education destination. Students registered on the portal are also facilitated with an e-Student Visa, streamlining their transition to Indian higher education institutions (HEIs),” the spokesperson added.

In addition to the gateway, a broader ecosystem has been developed using a multifaceted strategy.

Three international universities—Deakin University and the University of Wollongong in Australia, and the University of Southampton in England—have begun operations in India as a result of rules passed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) that allow foreign universities to open campuses there, aimed at enhancing India's appeal.

At the same time, Indian HEIs are expanding internationally. IIT Delhi opened a campus in Abu Dhabi in September 2024, while the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras opened a campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania, in November 2023.

These changes align with UGC rules that permit Institutions of Eminence (IoEs) to open campuses abroad.

Pradhan has overseen India’s educational diplomacy, which has produced important alliances with countries including Germany, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as collaborations with the Australia-India Education and Skills Council and the India-US Working Group on Education.

The most recent of these collaborations includes discussions about opening a campus in India at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, USA.

With 49 Indian universities currently collaborating with foreign institutions, UGC's 2022 rules have also enabled joint, dual, and twinning degree programs, furthering academic engagement between Indian and overseas HEIs.

Furthermore, 787 research projects from 28 countries have been approved under the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), which focuses on 12 critical areas such as disaster management, artificial intelligence, and sustainable cities.