Foreign Students in India: Now higher education in India is not limited only to the students of the country. A large number of students from many countries of the world are continuously coming here to study. Recently, many important figures related to foreign students have come to light in the report of All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2023-24 released by the Ministry of Education. According to the report, during the year 2023-24, students from 173 countries took admission in Indian universities and colleges. Most of these students have come from Nepal. Talking about states, Karnataka has emerged as the most preferred state for foreign students. In such a situation, let us know which are the top states that become the first choice of foreign students.

Students from 173 countries took admission in India

According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2023-24, a total of 58,134 foreign students took admission in Indian universities and colleges in the academic session 2023-24. This survey is prepared by collecting information from higher educational institutions across the country through online medium. It includes many information like admission of students, teachers, employees, infrastructure and examination results. This report is considered the basis for making and monitoring policies related to higher education.

Most foreign students arrived from Nepal

According to the report, the largest share of foreign students coming to study in India is from Nepal. Of the total foreign students, 24.1 percent students have come from Nepal. After this, United Arab Emirates (UAE) is included with 7 percent, America with 5.9 percent, Bangladesh with 5.9 percent, Nigeria with 5.5 percent and Zimbabwe with 4 percent share. The report also states that the share of top 10 countries in the total number of foreign students was 63.8 percent.

Which are the top states becoming the first choice of foreign students?

Karnataka has emerged as the biggest education center for foreign students. 7,914 foreign students took admission in higher educational institutions here. After this, Punjab remained at second place, where 7,902 students are studying. Apart from this, 6,190 foreign students took admission in Maharashtra, 5,953 in Uttar Pradesh and 5,694 in Tamil Nadu. These five states were among the states that attract foreign students the most.

Students arrived from these countries also

Apart from Nepal, UAE, America, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, students from many other countries including Lebanon, Burkina Faso, Mongolia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Chile also took admission in higher educational institutions of India in the year 2023-24. The Ministry of Education had started the Study in India program in the year 2018 with the aim of encouraging foreign students to pursue higher education in India. Its objective is to attract students from different countries of the world to study in Indian universities and colleges.

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Most students chose undergraduate courses

According to the report, most of the foreign students coming to India took admission in Undergraduate (UG) courses. Of the total foreign students studying in India, 73.6 percent i.e. 42,779 students are pursuing graduation. These include 27,849 male and 14,930 female students. Whereas 9,845 students have taken admission in Postgraduate (PG) course. Apart from this, some students are also studying in Diploma, PhD, Certificate and Integrated courses.

Number of foreign students increased in five years

According to AISHE report, the number of foreign students in India has increased continuously in the last five years. While there were 48,898 foreign students in the year 2019-20, this number increased to 58,134 in 2023-24. According to the report, during this period the number of foreign students has increased in both male and female categories. The number of male students increased from 32,386 to 37,295, while the number of female students increased from 16,512 to 20,839.

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Study in India: Today, India is gaining recognition across the world not only for its food, culture and festivals, but also for good education. Students from Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Africa and many Asian countries like to come to India and study. At the same time, courses like medical, engineering, management and IT are available in India at a good level at a low cost. This is the reason why every year thousands of foreign students leave their homes and come to India to pursue their studies. Also, big colleges and universities of India are now making their own identity in the world.

According to the report, every year more than 70 thousand foreign students come to study in India. According to the government, in the year 2025, about 72,218 foreign students were studying in different colleges and universities of India, who have come from about 200 countries. Along with modern technology, good education and better environment is also available in the education here, which attracts the students.

Better education at less cost is making India special

If we talk about the cost of education, then the cost of education in India is much less as compared to foreign countries. Whereas in America, Britain or Australia lakhs of rupees are spent, in India the same level of education can be done for less money. This is the reason why poor and middle class foreign students are considering India as a better option. Besides, the Government of India is also running many scholarship schemes for foreign students. Like ICCR Scholarship (Indian Council for Cultural Relations), every year more than 3000 foreign students get a chance to study in India.

Apart from this, there is also Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme, which is a special scheme run under ICCR, in which students from more than 100 countries are given scholarship to study in colleges and universities of India. It is believed that India is becoming especially popular for medical and technical studies. Many foreign students say that along with their studies, they also get a family-like environment in India. The culture and behavior of the people here quickly makes them their own.

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Indian students are also going abroad in large numbers

On one hand, foreign students are coming to India, while on the other hand, lakhs of Indian students are going to study abroad every year. According to the report, in the year 2024, about 13.35 lakh Indian students were studying abroad. In which Canada, America, Britain, Australia and Germany remain the first choice of Indian students. At the same time, maximum number of 4.27 lakh Indian students are studying in Canada. Also, more than 3.37 lakh Indian students are present in America. The desire to get good jobs, big universities and international experience is pulling the youth towards foreign countries. However, now good colleges and new facilities are increasing rapidly in India too, due to which the picture may change in the future.

India is becoming strong in the world on the basis of education

India is no longer just a country that teaches students, but is also moving towards becoming a major education center of the world. The increasing number of foreign students shows that the world’s trust in India’s education system is increasing. The new education policy, digital education and modern facilities have made India stronger. In the future, if India pays more attention to its colleges and research, then more students from the world can come to study here.

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US President Donald Trump has supported allowing foreign students to study in America. He said that it not only keeps the education system of the country strong, but is also very beneficial economically. While talking to Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump said that if the admission of foreign students is cut, many American universities will be closed.

Trump said, “If you stop half the students from all over the world, our colleges and universities will be destroyed. I don’t want to do that. It is good for students from outside countries to come, because we should keep pace with the whole world.”

Trump made a big claim

He claimed that half of America’s universities could be closed due to reducing the number of students from China and other countries. According to Trump, foreign students contribute trillions of dollars to the American economy and pay twice the fees as domestic students. He said, “I want to see our education system flourishing. It is not just a matter of inviting students, but it is a business model.”

Visa rules for international students strict

However, this statement has come at a time when the Trump administration has tightened the visa rules for international students. Thousands of visas have been canceled and some foreign students have been arrested or deported due to pro-Palestine activities.

When Ingraham suggested that reducing the number of foreign students would increase seats for American students, Trump disagreed. He said this would cause huge harm to small colleges and black historical universities.

Marco Rubio had taken a big decision

On the other hand, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio had earlier this year given instructions to temporarily stop student visa interviews. Now the administration is working on a new policy called Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, under which it plans to limit the number of foreign students to 15% of the total undergraduate admissions and not allow more than 5% students from any one country. Many top institutions are opposing this proposal.

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