As major English-speaking destinations such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada face accommodation crises and changed migration policy settings, the evidence that Indian students are turning away from these traditional destinations in favour of European destinations such as Italy, Germany and France is growing.
Nearly half (48.8%) of the 25,000 prospective Indian students surveyed by Edtech company upGrad for their 2024 Study Abroad Trends Report say that the EU is their destination of choice, while 27.6% would choose the United States and just 9.5% the United Kingdom. Similarly, an AECC survey of 8,312 current and prospective international students from 124 countries (excluding China) undertaken earlier this year found that interest in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia has decreased in the past twelve months, while interest in New Zealand, Germany and the United States has grown.
Enroly data for the UK’s January 2024 intake paints a clear picture of an already changing landscape. The number of Indian students in the UK has started to decline, with a 34% year-on-year drop in CAS issuance for India and a 38% decrease in deposits in January 2024, as reported by Enroly.
Conversely, key European destinations are reporting increases in Indian student numbers. Uni-Italia, the organisation responsible for promoting higher education in Italy, reports a significant rise in the number of Indian students choosing Italy as their study destination. With over 10,000 Indian students currently studying in Italy and a 10% annual growth in applications, Italy is becoming an increasingly popular choice for the Indian market. This trend is expected to continue, thanks to a new bilateral agreement that allows Indian students to stay in Italy for up to 12 months after completing their degree.
The number of Indian students enrolled in German universities has reportedly increased by 100% in the past five years. This year, Germany is hosting over 43,000 Indian students, making India Germany’s largest sending market. Germany’s tuition-free education at public universities for both domestic and international students is likely to be a key drawcard for Indian students as the global cost of living crisis continues. However, low-cost tuition is not the only driver of growth in Indian student numbers in Germany. Student visas and post-study work rights have long been important factors for Indian students when choosing their study-abroad destination. Germany has been working to make its labour market more attractive for Indian students as part of plans to tackle the country’s labour market shortages as the German population ages. In March 2024, Germany increased the number of hours students from non-EU countries can work from 10 to 20 hours per week. Germany also allows students to stay and work in Germany for 18 months after completing their degree.
France, which aims to attract 30,000 Indian students by 2030, has also seen a growing number of Indian students. In 2022/23, 6,986 Indian students were studying in France, an increase of 11% from 2021/22.
While Italy, Germany and France all offer a large English-taught programmes, efforts are being made to reduce language barriers for Indian students. France for example, has introduced an initiative to support Indian students in learning French in order to broaden students’ study choices. In January 2024, French President Emmanual Macron announced the launch of Classes Internationales (international classes), designed to enable Indian students to study French for a year in France prior to enrolling in their degree of choice. The programme, which will start in September 2024, is designed to support Indian students in broadening their options beyond English-taught degrees.
A PIE News report highlights that programmes are also being introduced in Germany to help Indian students who may wish to enter the German workforce to learn German.
Although Germany, France, and Italy have all reported an undersupply of student housing in recent years as rental housing market pressures have increased, the growing international student populations across these three destinations have yet to result in the type of backlash against international students seen in destinations such as Australia.
In December 2023, the French government announced plans to construct 35,000 additional student beds over the next three years, while in Italy, the government has invested in 60,000 new beds by 2027. In Germany, the “Junges Wohnen” joint federal and state government funding initiative will provide €500 million to student unions across the country to create and modernise affordable student housing.
