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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2128
ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026
Overseas Education Exodus
2128 Smt. Priyanka Chaturvedi:
Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:
a) whether USD 13 billion (₹ 1.13 lakh crore) Indian students spend annually on overseas
education represents capital flight from failed domestic higher education system;
b) the reasons why education loans rose from ₹ 28.8 lakh to ₹ 33.1 lakh with families losing ₹
1,700 crore to exchange markups, yet exodus continues; and
c) whether Government will transform domestic education if so, steps proposed in this regard?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)
(a) to (c): Studies abroad are a matter of individual will and choice, which is influenced by a
variety of factors, including affordability, aptitude for particular branch of studies, research
opportunities, aspirations for global mobility, exposure to foreign societies. The Government
recognizes the reality of a global workplace, especially in an era of knowledge economy. A
successful, prosperous and influential diaspora is viewed as an asset for India. The Government’s
efforts are also aimed at harnessing the potential of the diaspora, including the sharing of
knowledge and expertise.
India has a large and diverse higher education ecosystem, which continues to strengthen within the
wide-ranging reforms undertaken by the Government in line with the National Education Policy
2020. Key initiatives include expansion of high-quality institutions, accreditation of institutions
and courses, promotion of multidisciplinary education, research and innovation, augmenting
digital initiatives for education, internationalisation of higher education and encouragement of
global collaborations. These initiatives have led to rise in quality of educational facilities in the
country. 54 Indian Institutions have been ranked in the QS World University Ranking (QS WUR)
2026, which is India’s highest ever representation, marking a growth from 11 institutions in QS
WUR 2015. India is ranked 38th globally in the Global Innovation Index (2025). India is
considered one of the largest startup ecosystems in the world (top 3) in scale, funding and unicorn
count.
The Government of India has undertaken several initiatives to ensure availability of quality
education in the higher education domain through infrastructure upgradation of the institutions,accreditation of institutions and courses, promotion of research & innovation and augmenting the
digital initiatives. There are various scholarship schemes to help students to study in India. Some
of the initiatives are as below:
Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)/ Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha
Abhiyan (PM-USHA) scheme provides financial support to State Governments under three
components, (i) Enhancing quality and excellence in select state universities, (ii)
Infrastructure grants to universities, and (iii) multi-disciplinary education and research
universities (MERU).
PM VidyaLaxmi Scheme aims to provide support to any student getting admission in
quality Higher Education Institutions (QHEIs).
Promotion of accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) through National
Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) to ensure quality education.
To assess the qualitative competence of the programs offered by educational institution
from diploma level to post-graduate level by National Board of Accreditation (NBA).
Established 8 Research Parks at premier institutions to serve as hubs for innovation,
knowledge creation and have research collaboration with top-rated industries, to enable
entrepreneurship and incubation of students and building strong academic linkages.
Established Anusandhan National Research Foundation which aims to seed, grow and
promote research and development (R&D) and foster a culture of research and innovation
throughout India’s universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories.
Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) to
encourage research collaboration between top Indian Institutes with the premier foreign
institutes;
One Nation, One Subscription initiative to provide centralized access to high-quality
academic resources, research papers, and journals to students, researchers, and educators
across the country;
To ensure high quality educational content to every learner through SWAYAM, SWAYAM
Plus etc:
Establishment of three AI Centres of Excellence (CoE) focused on Healthcare, Agriculture,
and Sustainable Cities.
In order to provide the best of global educational facilities within the country and in line with the
vision of NEP 2020 to promote internationalization of education and making India a Global hub
for higher education, Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs) have been permitted to
establish their campuses in India under:
the University Grants Commission - UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses
of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, and
the International Financial Services Centers Authority (Setting up and Operation of
International Branch Campuses and Offshore Education Centers) Regulations,
2022.
UGC has issued 14 Letters of Intent (LoIs) to FHEIs from Australia, Italy, United Kingdom and
USA to establish their campuses at various places in India including Bengaluru (Karnataka), DelhiNCR, Gurugram (Haryana), Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu). Under IFSCA
regulations 2022, approvals have been granted to 5 universities from Australia and the UK to
establish offshore branch campuses in GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Further, University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken several initiatives to enhance the quality
of education. Some of the important initiatives are issuing regulations for Joint/Dual/Twinning
degree programmes, guidelines for Internship/Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Program,
establishment of Research and Development Cells in HEIs, promoting the concept of Professor of
Practice, accessibility guidelines and standards for HEIs and Universities, initiation of UTSAH
Portal (Undertaking Transformative Strategies and Actions in Higher Education) to track
achievements of NEP 2020, issuing Curriculum and Guidelines on Life Skills (Jeevan Kaushal)
2.0, launching of Malaviya Mission Teachers Training Programme (MMTTP) for continuous
capacity building of faculties etc.
Further, to attract international students to India, the Ministry has launched the ‘Study in India’
(SII) scheme in 2018 with the aim of promoting India as a global study destination providing
world-class education at affordable costs. An integral part of the programme is the Study in India
portal, a one-stop destination for admission and visa applications for all incoming foreign students
and acts as a gateway to the Indian higher education ecosystem.
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