Parliament Question: Overseas education exodus

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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