Bengaluru: Karnataka retained its position as the top destination for foreign students in higher education in 2023-24, enrolling 7,914 international students, according to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) released Thursday. The state was just ahead of Punjab, which enrolled 7,902 students.India recorded 58,134 foreign students from 173 countries, with Karnataka accounting for nearly 13.6% of the total. Maharashtra (6,190), Uttar Pradesh (5,953), and Tamil Nadu (5,694) rounded out the top five states. Bengaluru, along with Manipal, Mangaluru, Mysuru, and Dharwad, continued to attract students from across the world.Undergraduate courses remained the biggest draw. Of Karnataka’s 7,914 foreign students, 6,638 (84%) were enrolled in UG programmes, while 812 were pursuing PG courses.Nationally, foreign student enrolment rose 18.9% over five years, from 48,898 in 2019-20 to a record 58,134 in 2023-24, despite dipping during the pandemic years.Nepal remained the largest source of foreign students, contributing 24.1%, followed by the UAE (7%), the US (5.9%), Bangladesh (5.9%), and Nigeria (5.5%).
