Indian students who want to study abroad can be put into two categories – the first category is sensitive to the cost and the value of doing a course overseas. The second category is concerned about the prestige component of studying abroad and the value of experience it brings.
The Reserve Bank of India states that the spending of Indian students for tuition and accommodation expenses for the overseas study has gone up by 44% this year compared to USD 1.9 billion in 2013-14. According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, more than 3,00,000 Indian students study abroad second only to China which has the largest number of international students.
Students wanting to Study Abroad must follow a well-structured plan for admission to a course in a country of their choice. The first step is to decide what course they want to study. The second step is to consider the eligibility requirements for the program which includes visa and immigration requirements. This also includes giving the mandatory tests for admission.
The next step is to choose your study abroad destination. Here are the top 5 destinations of Indian students wanting to study abroad.
- Canada
Indian nationals comprise 25% of the 494,525 international students studying in Canada.
- USA
According to the United States India Educational Foundation, 186,000 Indian students are studying in the U.S and contribute 17% of international students here.
- Germany
There were around 17, 500 Indian students in Germany in 2017-18.
- U.K
There were more than 19,000 students in the U.K between 2017-18.
- Australia
More than 100,000 Indian students were enrolled in Australian Universities in 2018.
The average cost of studying abroad
Here is a table comparing the average study cost and the average living cost of the top 5 study abroad destinations per year.
| Country | Tuition cost | Living cost |
| USA | USD 29,231 | USD 22,670 |
| UK | USD 20,861 | USD 12,088 |
| Canada | USD 14,636 | USD 15,728 |
| Australia | USD 19,1353 | USD 25,743 |
| Germany | USD 6,904 | USD 11,388 |
Students will also have to consider the student visa requirements, immigration policies and the post-study career options when choosing their study abroad destination.