India not only lost its top place as the most represented higher-education system to China, several of its marquee institutions saw a significant drop.
The number of Indians travelling abroad for education fell from 908,364 in 2023 to 770,127 in 2024 and 626,606 in 2025.
Assocham on Monday said over $ 13bn are spent every year by about 450,000 Indian students on higher education abroad as they are not accommodated by domestic institutions. The primary reason for a large number of Indian students seeking professional education abroad is lack of capacity in Indian institutions. Over 150000 students every year go overseas for university education, which costs India a foreign exchange outflow of $10bn, which is sufficient to build new institutes.
Rising study-abroad costs are prompting families to use education loans strategically while preserving savings, liquidity and long-term financial stability, says Yogesh Rawat
If India wants to satisfy the aspirations of its youth, it will have to revamp the higher education system without ifs and buts
Compared with a year ago, the effective cost of studying abroad for Indian students has increased by roughly 10%-12% due to currency depreciation and rising living costs.
The SBI Platinum Jubilee Asha Scholarship is one of India's major scholarship programmes, designed to support meritorious students from economically weaker sections. The scholarship covers students from Class 9 onwards, including those pursuing higher education in India and abroad, helping ensure that financial constraints do not stand in the way of quality education.
A career break does not erase the experience that came before it. But the labour market can act as though it does. The more women invest in building professional careers, the more costly an interruption can become. How, then, do we enable women to make a comeback? Whose responsibility is it? asks Radha Roy Biswas.
'The future of a microbiology course is highly promising in India and abroad,' says rediffGURU Radheshyam Zanwar, founder of Zanwar Classes.
90 per cent of institutions recorded no improvement in international student metrics, despite government initiatives such as the Study in India programme, UGC regulations on internationalisation, and efforts to attract foreign students.
The Ram temple trust's decision to establish a permanent institute for training and certifying Hindu priests is being seen by religious leaders and members of the Indian diaspora as a significant step towards addressing the growing demand for qualified 'archaks' (priests) not only in India but also overseas.
No income tax relief, but compliance burden eased for youth and middle class through lower TCS.
Students and families must stress test repayment capacity based on Indian salary standards.
Nasscom chief Kiran Karnik said: 'I am not saying you throw open education, but we need to liberate higher professional education from constraints.'
The NEET-UG re-exam was held at centres across the country and overseas on Sunday amid tight security arrangements for the smooth conduct of the examination.
The question for the next 20 years is not whether India can become a $5 trillion or $10 trillion economy. Those are attractive targets, but the real question is whether India can create enough productive jobs, educate its children properly, make its cities liveable, and give hundreds of millions of people a substantially better life, asserts Ramesh Menon.
Candidates who prefer the paper-based format will be able to register for the final three test dates scheduled in July and August, after which the option will no longer be available in the country.
Foreign universities are unlikely to gain major ground in India's higher education market in the near term, as students and families continue to prioritise return on investment over brand value in a highly price-sensitive sector.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has strongly refuted a video circulating on social media that falsely claims the NEET-UG 2026 paper was leaked, asserting that the recent re-examination was conducted successfully with comprehensive security measures.
MEA data show that the number of Indian students in the UAE in 2025 was 253,832, just behind the United States with 255,447 students, and Canada being on top at 427,085.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has strongly refuted a video circulating on social media that falsely claims the NEET-UG 2026 paper was leaked, asserting that the recent re-examination was conducted successfully with comprehensive security measures.
Overseas travel spending by Indians, including holiday trips, decreased by $212.43 million to $1.09 billion in March compared to February, according to the Reserve Bank of India's latest data.
rediffGURU Dr Karan Gupta, an overseas education expert, suggests how to pick the right course and country to study abroad.
'Our biggest opportunity lies with the younger age-group teams.' 'If you look at the senior national team, our chances are about 50-50.' 'The gap becomes smaller as you move down the age groups.' 'At the Under-20 level, it's closer to 60-40.' 'By the Under-17 level, it's around 80-20. That's where I feel we have our best chance.'
The CBI's investigation into the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak has revealed that the leaked question paper allegedly reached Rajasthan through an accused, with students paying significant sums for access. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities questioning individuals and tracing the money trail.
Canada has emerged as the most preferred country for Indian students abroad.
With stricter policies dampening the US/UK dream, Germany, Ireland and New Zealand are emerges as new study abroad destinations for Indian students.
Across the world, middle class families are dealing with the consequences of competition to get into high-quality institutions.
There is too much focus on building, infrastructure, the number of teachers (as opposed to quality), number of laboratories and so on, says Vineet Gupta.
'Unfortunately, today most ministers are busy with either election duty or praising duty. They are not interested in serving duty.' 'Ministers have become relaxed like retired people still holding onto jobs.' 'Look at how the NEET paper leaked. But there is no accountability.' 'After 12 years, they have become saturated. They are short of ideas.'
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that her leadership has led to the weakening of the state's institutions. The remarks follow Banerjee's criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments on Jadavpur University.
'Indian private universities can provide world-class education at one fourth the cost, home comforts, and direct links to Indian and global industries.'
From Bengaluru to GIFT City, British universities scale up India presence, cementing the UK's lead in global higher education partnerships.
Study abroad experts explain how Canada, Australia, Germany, France and Dubai are redefining global education.
'What has changed is that the new regulations are backed by a clear enforcement framework. They have real consequences and, for the first time, make compliance unavoidable.'
'For tech fields like AI-DS, the US, Canada, UK, Germany and Australia are popular due to strong research and industry links', says rediffGURU Dr Karan Gupta.
Professional counsellor Karan Gupta advises Indian candidates on courses abroad
Ahead of NEET UG 2026 -- which opens the door to 1.2 lakh MBBS seats in the country annually -- education expert Nagarajan JSK explains why lakhs of students attempt the exam every year.
The HSBC global research team has compared average annual fees and annual cost of living in 13 major study abroad destinations.
'With tuition fees for international students rising, education loans have become critical for bridging the gap between savings, scholarship, and full cost.'
