Parliament Question: Students pursuing education abroad

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1303 ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026 Students pursuing education abroad 1303 Shri A. A. Rahim: Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state: (a) the number of Indian students who have gone abroad for higher education during each of last three years, State-wise, with destination countries details thereof; (b) whether Government has conducted any survey, study or assessment to examine reasons why students choose to pursue education abroad instead of within the country, including factors such as academic quality, costs, employment prospects and research opportunities; (c) whether a study has been undertaken, if so, the key observations and recommendations and steps proposed to address underlying factors driving students to seek education overseas; and (d) if not, whether a study/survey will be conducted? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR) (a) to (d): As per information provided by Bureau of Immigration (BoI), Ministry of Home Affairs the number of Indians who disclosed their purpose of visit as STUDY/EDUCATION while going abroad from 2023 to 2025 is as under: Year 2023 2024 2025 Number of 908364 770127 626606 Students The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was framed and approved by the Government of India to transform and improve the quality of education in the country. Government of India has taken comprehensive action to ensure availability of high-quality education at every level in India. Studies abroad are a matter of individual will and choice, which is contingent on a variety of factors such as affordability, access to bank loans, exposure to foreign societies, aptitude for particular branch of studies etc. 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.Government of India has undertaken several initiatives to ensure availability of high-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. 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. 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 (UGC) University Grants Commission (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), Delhi NCR, 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, to attract international students to India, the Ministry has launched the ‘Study in India’ 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 (SII) 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. *****