It also shows the rising interest by students from India to study hospitality, leisure and sports
Students from India are exploring newer overseas destinations for studies in the wake of rising competition in the preferred countries such as the US, the UK, and Australia, a new report said.
Italy, Austria, and Finland are among the new emerging as the new overseas destinations for prospective Indian students for their bachelor studies, a new report by Times Higher Education (THE) and Studyportals has found.
The report ‘Spotlight on India Report: Recruitment Insight and Transnational Education Trends’, showed rising interest by students from India to study hospitality, leisure and sports, while business and management, computer science and engineering-related disciplines are still the most popular ones for them.
Business, computer science and engineering are also the most sought-after for master’s students, with natural sciences and medical-related programmes also in demand.
The report said there has been a huge increase in Indian students choosing to study in the UK over the last five years, registering an increase of 543 percent, mainly driven by post-graduate students. Growth in the undergraduate area has, however, been limited.
London is by far and away the preferred destination for Indian students, but regions such as the East of England and Northern Ireland have seen significant growth of Indian students in the last five years, according to the 48-page report, which combines Studyportals and UK Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) data for analyzing and identifying historic and forward-looking trends in student mobility from India.
Indian student choices and aspirations
“This report provides greater intelligence on Indian student choice and aspirations with insights into study location and programme preferences as well as unique data on the demand for international study at a city level in India,” said Dr Ishan Cader, THE’s Director of Consultancy.
“A key question that emerges from this research is whether the falling demand in studying abroad might instead be captured by studying foreign degrees within India, aligning with the Indian government’s ambition to increase transnational education in India,” he said, adding that universities interested in diversification, should also be considering diversification within India.
The top five Indian cities that show a keen interest to study undergraduate degrees abroad are: Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, while Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai are the top five Indian cities with a keen interest to study a postgraduate degree abroad.
Canada, Germany, and the US are the preferred choices for students in Delhi and Mumbai.
Cara Skikne, Senior Editor of Studyportals said, the report sheds light on the dynamic landscape of prospective Indian students’ interests in studying abroad, such as the preferred study destinations for undergraduate and postgraduate students, subject areas of choice across study levels, and the Indian cities generating the most interest for overseas education.
Source : Arabian Business