Despite concerns about affordability, safety, and security, the US continues to be the preferred destination for 69 per cent of Indian students planning to study abroad, according to the Oxford International’s Student Global Mobility Index (SGMI).
The UK ranks second with 54 per cent, followed by Canada at 43 per cent, and Australia at 27 per cent, as reported by a survey-based study.
Key highlights of the report:
— 69% of the surveyed Indian students voted for US as the preferred country to pursue higher education over other countries like UK (54%), Canada (43%) and Australia (27%)
— Quality of education and reputed universities stand out as top reasons for Indian students to choose a country for higher education
— Parents/guardians are the biggest influencers in shaping the decision to pursue education abroad among Indian students
Quality and reputation of education a key factor
Parents and guardians as primary influencers
According to the SGMI survey, 71 per cent of Indian students said their parents or guardians were the main influencers in deciding to study abroad. This trend is consistent among students from Nigeria (72 per cent), Pakistan (71 per cent), and Vietnam (62 per cent), with 44 per cent of Indian students also citing their closest friends as influential.
Affordability and scholarships influence destination choices
In terms of affordability, 28 per cent of Indian students chose the UK due to its reasonable course fees, followed by Australia (20 per cent), Canada (18 per cent), and the US (9 per cent). Moreover, 34 per cent of all surveyed students prefer Australia for its scholarship opportunities, with Canada at 32 per cent, the UK at 27 per cent, and the US at 23 per cent.
Higher education agents play a big role
Notably, 35 per cent of Indian and Nigerian students engage with higher education agents for information when deciding on courses and universities, compared to 23 per cent from Pakistan and 22 per cent from Vietnam.
Other highlights: Overall university rankings websites (51%), University webpages (50%), Search engines (49%) and Social Media sites (42%) were the most popular information sources.
The most valuable sources of information were university webpages, search engines and teachers, but a range of sources was highly valued by respondents. Students from India don’t think social media sites are as valuable as students in other countries.
First Published: Apr 23 2024 | 4:31 PM IST