Students from India have been showing a growing interest in studying abroad in Canada over the last two decades. There are 4 primary drivers of this trend: The cost of tuition, the ability to work after graduation, many potential immigration pathways, and the general acceptance of international students in Canada.
Although Canada continues to be an attractive study destination for students from India, there has been a trend among students to diversify their study abroad locations and to select those countries that offer a more favorable combination of quality of education, employment, cost, and career opportunities.
The United Kingdom is benefiting the most from this changing pattern of global mobility among Indian students. In addition to the globally recognized universities in the UK, there are a number of important factors that continue to attract students from India, including shorter course times, internationally recognized programs of study, and the ability to access graduate employment via the UK Graduate Route Visa.
There has been a renewed surge of interest in Australia. After recovering from COVID-19, many Australian colleges have partnered with Indian institutions and created scholarships, along with simplifying the admissions process for Indian students. Australia faces significant shortages of skilled workers in many areas, including health care, engineering, information technology, and education; as a result, many Indian students wish to achieve their goals of finding international career opportunities.
At the same time, Germany is an increasingly popular option. With its public universities providing highly affordable options to attend college, and in most cases with little or no tuition ($0>$15,000 per semester), Germany is emerging as a great opportunity for international students. Further, because Germany has an extensive industrial base in areas such as engineering, manufacturing, and IT, there are ample opportunities to work/intern during your studies.
Finally, Ireland is on the rise. There are many international companies, including tech and pharma companies, that have located their European headquarters in Ireland. Because of this, there are more international students graduating from Irish institutions who will likely find jobs within Ireland’s growing data analytics, artificial intelligence, business, and health sectors.
Increasingly, emerging destinations throughout Europe have become more popular with consumers. For example, countries like the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, and France have successfully attracted students to their English-taught programs, as well as providing ample research opportunities and reasonable tuition fees. These countries are also promoting themselves as centers for innovation, particularly with regard to sustainable practices, innovation in technology, and developments in advanced science.
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Despite the difficulty in obtaining a visa and the associated costs of studying at an American college, for many Indian students, the United States continues to be a coveted place to study. The majority of U.S. institutions maintain their position as the world’s best for research; they have abundant research facilities and strong industry connections, along with an entrepreneurial spirit. For this reason, Indian undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students continue to view the U.S. as an ideal location to further their education and develop professionally in STEM disciplines such as artificial intelligence and computer science, as well as in advanced research programs.
Additionally, student decision-making is changing. Previously, the majority of decisions regarding destination selection were based on immigration. Today, decisions about job placement, return on investment, industry exposure, and career prospects are significantly greater in terms of their impact on decision-making. In addition, students are examining various factors such as the job market, average salary, available internships, and the total cost of education to make informed decisions.
The increasing popularity of AI and the disruption of technology have led students to look at different preferences. These preferences include that students want to learn practical skills, be integrated into the industry, and have competencies for the future, rather than just look at how prestigious the location is.
When looking at Canadian challenges, we do see that this will allow students from India to have a much broader array of choices than there were in the past, but there is also a significant increase of more educated and strategic-thinking students from India that no longer choose a particular destination solely because it is popular but are now choosing their global education pathways based on their academic goals, financial situation, and career aspirations.
The demand for international education is experiencing a significant shift, and Indian students have started to change their thinking on not only finding the easiest country to migrate to, but they are also focused on which countries have the best long-term value for their future, and this has resulted in Indian students spreading their academic and financial opportunities across a much larger array of countries than they were previously.
(This article is written by Ritika Gupta, Global Education Mentor & CEO, AAera)
