Study Abroad Trends: Studying abroad has been a big dream of Indian students for a long time. Every year lakhs of students move to other countries for better education, good jobs and international experience. However, now this trend seems to be gradually changing. In recent years, not only has there been a decline in the number of Indian students going abroad, but many students are returning to India after completing their studies sooner than before.

Experts say that there are many reasons for this like increasing expenses, strict immigration rules, changing job market and increasing career opportunities in India. In such a situation, let us know why Indian students are returning to India sooner than before.

Why are attitudes towards studying abroad changing?

According to Sanjay Lall, Founder and Director of MSM Unify, the thinking of students regarding studying abroad is not the same as before. Earlier, international education was considered a way to permanently settle abroad, but now students are taking decisions in a more practical manner. He says that today’s students are taking decisions keeping in mind their career and future. If they see better opportunities in India, they are deciding to return soon.

Decline in the number of Indian students going abroad

According to the Bureau of Immigration data presented in Parliament by the Ministry of Education, the number of Indian students going abroad for higher education has decreased in the last few years. In the year 2023, more than 9.08 lakh students went to study abroad. This number will reduce to 7.7 lakh in 2024. Whereas in 2025 it further reduced to 6.26 lakh. Within two years, there was a decline of about 31 percent in the number of students going abroad.

Why are Indian students who went to study abroad returning early?

According to Sanjay Lall, immigration rules in countries like America, Canada, Britain and Australia have become stricter than before. It is taking more time to get a visa and the situation of getting a job after completing studies is also not as easy as before. Especially due to AI based changes, competition has increased in entry level jobs. In such a situation, confusion has increased for international students regarding career after studies.

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Expert told this big reason

Experts say that the fees for studying abroad are continuously increasing. Along with this, the cost of living has also become higher than before. At the same time, due to fall in the value of rupee, studying abroad is becoming more expensive. In many countries, the amount of proof of funds to be shown before starting studies has also been increased significantly. In such a situation, especially middle class families are now assessing the expenses incurred on studying abroad and the benefits received in return more carefully than before.

Better career opportunities are increasing in India

According to Sanjay Lall, India’s job market is also changing rapidly. Global Capability Center (GCC), Multinational Companies (MNC), AI based companies and startups are growing rapidly in the country. This has increased the opportunities for well-paid jobs for youth with international education. This is the reason why many students, after completing their studies abroad, prefer to return to India soon to further their career. Experts believe that this change is not a sign of diminishing importance of international education. Rather, the thinking of the students is changing.

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Foreign University Campuses in India: It is every student’s dream to study from a prestigious university abroad, but heavy fees and the cost of living abroad sometimes makes this dream difficult. But now a big and good update has come out for the students. Many big universities of the world are going to start their campuses in India. Due to which the need to go abroad to study may be reduced to a great extent in the future. After GIFT City, new centers of international college campuses are going to be built in many big cities. With this, students will get the opportunity to get the benefits of international level education, international degree and global faculty in India itself. In such a situation, let us know in which cities the campuses of international colleges are going to be opened after GIFT City.

15 international college campuses will open in India

According to the Union Education Ministry, till now letters of intent have been issued to 15 international universities to open their independent campuses in India. Most of these colleges are preparing to start studies for their first batch from August this year. Initially, about 200 to 250 students will be given entry in each campus. A target has been set to increase this number to 1,000 to 1,200 students every year in the next five years. It is being told that more than 10 thousand applications have been received in the current admission process itself.

Complete list of international universities opening campuses in India

Major international universities preparing to set up campuses in India include University of Southampton (UK), Deakin University (Australia), University of Wollongong (Australia), Queen’s University Belfast (UK), University of Liverpool (UK), University of York (UK), University of Bristol (UK), University of Aberdeen (UK), Illinois Institute of Technology (USA), Western Sydney University (Australia), Victoria University (Australia), Coventry University (UK), University of Surrey (UK), La Trobe University (Australia) and Lancaster University (UK).

In which cities the campuses of international colleges are going to open?

New campuses of international colleges are being established in four major cities in India. In which University of Southampton and Victoria University will start their campuses in Delhi-NCR (Gurugram). Deakin University, University of Wollongong and Queen’s University Belfast are setting up their campuses in GIFT City. The University of Liverpool will open its campus in Bengaluru. Apart from this, most of the campuses of international colleges are going to open in Mumbai. Campuses of four international colleges are being established here. University of York, University of Bristol, University of Aberdeen and Illinois Institute of Technology are preparing to start their campuses in Mumbai. These cities have been selected because of better infrastructure, connectivity with industries and large student base.

What will be the qualification for admission?

For entry into most international universities, students must have at least 75 percent marks in 12th. Whereas for postgraduate course, 55 to 70 percent marks may be required. This percentage may vary according to the course and university. If a student has 70 to 85 percent marks in English subject in the board exam, then many universities will not require IELTS score.

Which subjects will be studied?

Initially the focus of these universities will be mainly on modern and employment based courses. These will mainly include subjects like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Computer Science, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). The syllabus, examination system and grading of these universities will be as per their original international campus.

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You will also get a chance to study abroad

Students studying in these universities will also get the opportunity to study abroad for one or two semesters. The University of York will start a 2+1 model, in which students will be able to study for two years in the Mumbai campus and one year in the UK. Students of the Bharat Campus of the University of Bristol will get the opportunity to use the AI ​​super computing facility of the university present in the UK through the cloud system.

What will be the arrangements for faculty and scholarship?

Along with Indian teachers, professors coming from abroad will also teach in these campuses. Scholarships will also be made available to the students on the basis of merit and financial condition. A joint scholarship fund of about Rs 1,000 crore has been earmarked for the next five years. Students can get fee relaxation ranging from 10 percent to 100 percent. Apart from this, institutions like University of Aberdeen and University of Bristol have also announced separate scholarships. With the opening of these campuses in India, students will be able to get foreign like education, international degrees, global faculty and research facilities here. Also, the cost will be 30 to 40 percent less compared to studying abroad.

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Another big step has been taken towards strengthening higher education in India at the world level. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has given approval to three top foreign universities to start their campuses in India. Under this, Britain’s University of York and University of Bristol will set up their campuses in Mumbai, while Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) will start its first international campus in Bengaluru.

After getting the approval of UGC, these universities will now be able to start the admission process for students in India. This initiative is part of the goal of internationalization of higher education under the New Education Policy (NEP 2020), which aims to provide world-class education to Indian students in the country itself. Formal acceptance letters have been handed over to these universities.

Britain’s University of York said that it has received formal approval from UGC to set up a campus in Mumbai. The university will start admitting students from the academic session of 2026. In the initial phase, Undergraduate (UG) programs like Business, Economics and Computer Science will be started here. Apart from this, postgraduate (PG) courses in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Finance and Management will also be available.

University of Bristol will also start in Mumbai

University of Bristol has also received UGC approval for Mumbai Enterprise Campus. The university has announced that classes will be started from a temporary campus at the Cygnus campus in Powai, Mumbai from August 2026. The university is planning to admit around 250 students in the first year. Undergraduate and postgraduate courses will be conducted here in subjects like Data Science, Economics, Finance and Immersive Arts.

UNSW Sydney’s first international campus

Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) has received permission to set up its first international campus in Bengaluru. The university classes will start from August 2026 at Embassy Manyata Business Park. Initially, graduate degree programs in Business, Computer Science and Data Science will be started. Along with this, postgraduate course in cyber security will also be available to the students.

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