FROM TALENT SOURCE TO STUDY HUB

FOR decades, the story of Indian higher education has been shaped as much by what happens beyond the country’s borders as by what unfolds within its classrooms.

- JOHN J KENNEDY

Studying abroad has come to symbolise aspiration, mobility and success, often accompanied by immense family sacrifice. From middle-class households stretching finances to pay overseas tuition to record-breaking visa numbers, sending children abroad has become a benchmark of educational achievement. However, this outward flow masks an uncomfortable reality: while India is one of the world’s largest exporters of students, it remains a weak magnet for global talent.

Aclose look at the numbers reveals that this imbalance is not just stark but also persistent. According to the latest Niti Aayog report, for every international student who chose to study in India in 2021, around 25 Indian students went abroad. That year alone, outbound numbers climbed to 11.5 lakh, while inbound enrolments hovered at 45-50,000. In fact, student mobility data between 2016 and 2022 shows little structural change in incoming numbers, even as outbound figures steadily increased. In 2019, for instance, a relatively normal pre-pandemic year, 6.75 lakh Indian students left to study overseas, while only slightly above 47,000 international students arrived in India.