India’s student migration story is entering a new phase—one where rising costs, tighter visa rules and new domestic options are reshaping how families invest in global education.

A Business Standard article, covered the analysis and article by Dr. Rahul Choudaha published in the Henley Education Report 2026.

One notable feature of Indian students’ study abroad choices is their concentration in the ‘big four’ English-speaking countries — Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA. With rapid changes to immigration and visa policies in the USA, followed by Canada in 2025 — two of the most popular destinations — the number of Indian students studying abroad is likely to decrease further in the near term.

According to the analysis by Dr. Choudaha of the data published by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the number of Indian students overseas increased from nearly 518,000 in 2018 to a peak of 893,000 in 2023. However, this peak was partly driven by pent-up demand following the pandemic. As that demand began to subside in 2024, the number of Indian students studying abroad fell by 15% — or nearly 134,000 students — to 760,000.

One of the biggest changes highlighted in the report by Dr. Choudaha is the rise of international branch campuses (IBCs) in India. Enabled by reforms under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, top global universities are now entering India.

At a time when student mobility options are tightening and uncertainty about recovering educational investment is rising, the aspirations of students and parents for alternatives are converging with the arrival of foreign universities in India under a new regulatory framewo