From changes in study visas to increased work hours allowed to international students, a lot has happened in the study abroad domain this year. We will find out how some countries are making stricter visa rules to curb immigration while a few are easing norms to attract foreign students.
As per the data released by the Indian government in Rajya Sabha, over 13.35 lakh Indian students are pursuing higher studies abroad. The number of Indians studying abroad increased from 13,18,955 in 2023 to 13,35,878 in 2024. While the year-on-year has been slow this time, the number of students pursuing higher studies abroad has dramatically increased from pre-pandemic years. The number has gone up from 675541 in 2019 to 685097 in 2020, after which it jumped to 1158702 in 2021 but declined to 907404 in 2022. However, the number shot up to 13,18,955 in 2023 to 13,35,878 in 2024.
Interestingly, despite several ups and downs, popular English-speaking countries such as Canada (427000), the US (337630), Australia (122202), and the UK (185000) remain the top choice for Indian students hoping to pursue…