New data from India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reveals a significant shift in the profile of Indian students studying overseas. For the first time, the government has included school-level enrollment figures, painting a more comprehensive picture that shows a surprising decline in university-level enrollments after years of consistent growth.
Key Findings from the 2025 MEA Report
The latest data, tabled in Parliament during the winter session, shows that over 18.82 lakh (1.88 million) Indian students are currently studying across 153 countries. This overall figure, however, includes a new component: 6.28 lakh students at the school level. The traditional measure of university and tertiary institution enrollments stands at 12.54 lakh students.
This marks a notable change from the previous year. In 2024, the MEA reported 13.3 lakh students in higher education alone. The 2025 figure of 12.54 lakh indicates a clear year-on-year decline in university-level overseas enrollment, breaking a three-year growth streak that saw numbers rise from 7.5 lakh in 2022 to 13.3 lakh in 2024.
Destination Breakdown: Canada Leads Universities, Gulf Dominates Schools
The top three destinations for Indian students in 2025, combining both school and higher education, were:
- Canada: 4,27,085 students
- United States: 2,55,447 students
- United Arab Emirates (UAE): 2,53,832 students
A deeper look reveals a stark divide in the nature of these student populations. Countries like Canada, the US, the UK (1,73,190), Australia (1,38,579), and Germany (49,483) remain almost exclusively higher-education destinations for Indians.
In contrast, several Gulf nations account for massive school-level enrollments, driven by large Indian expatriate communities:
- UAE: 2,47,325 school students (vs. only 6,507 in universities)
- Saudi Arabia: 75,000 school students
- Kuwait: 50,000 school students
- Qatar: 47,846 school students
- Oman: 44,547 school students
Analyzing the Decline in Higher Education Mobility
The dip in university-level enrollments in 2025 comes after a period of robust growth. Experts and the data suggest this reversal is likely influenced by a combination of geopolitical and policy factors affecting major destination countries over the past two years.
Diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, which began in 2023, created an atmosphere of uncertainty for prospective students. Simultaneously, shifting US immigration policies and post-study work opportunities have caused Indian students to reevaluate their options.
Other nations have also implemented stricter rules. The United Kingdom introduced tighter study-visa and dependent-visa regulations, impacting postgraduate intakes from India. Australia enforced stricter financial requirements and increased scrutiny on student applications, slowing down the flow. These collective challenges appear to have contributed to the first decline in Indian higher education abroad numbers in recent years.
The MEA data underscores the evolving landscape of global education for Indians. While the dream of an overseas degree remains strong, the destinations and levels of study are diversifying. The inclusion of school data highlights the significant footprint of Indian families in the Gulf, while the university enrollment trends reflect the sensitivity of international student mobility to global politics and national policies.
