The United States is gradually losing its charm as a foreign education destination for international students. It is not a coincidence but a natural outcome of the series of anti-immigration steps taken by the Donald Trump administration, leading to an overall sentiment growing against immigrants.
The Open Doors 2025 Report recently indicated that 277,118 students started their studies at US colleges and universities in Fall 2024, which is a 7.2 per cent drop from the previous year’s data. It is an unprecedented fall, the report acknowledges. Notably, the number of new undergraduates rose by 5% whereas the number of new graduate students dropped by 15%, the report noted.
And this may just be a new beginning. With three more years to go before Donald Trump‘s era comes to an end in the US, the anti-immigration sentiment is nowhere close to closure. Given all this, where can Indian students go for their higher education besides America?
With the American dream dying, students can explore these countries to study abroad
I. France: This Western European country is doubling down on students coming from India. With around 10,000 Indian students studying in France, France is aiming for this number to reach 30,000 by 2030.
After PM Narendra Modi’s visit to France in July 2023, France made a strong push for Indian students in France, rolling out major initiatives to welcome students from India.
II. New Zealand: Enrolments from India rose 34 per cent between January and August 2024 to 10,640 in 2024, Education New Zealand (ENZ) data reveals.
Indian students now comprise around 11 percent of all international university enrolments in the island nation, second highest afterthe Chinese.
Source: Parliamentary questions
III. Russia: The number of students studying in Russia has also seen a big jump lately. Indian students pursuing studies in Russia rose in 2024 by 34 per cent compared to 2023, the ministry said. Cost-wise, too, it is quite economical.
Russian colleges are quite popular for offering medical education to Indian students, with some being able to pursue medicine for as low as ₹3.5 lakh – ₹4 lakh a year at a medical school based there.
IV. Germany: Germany has also seen a major jump in international students from India, with the number rising around 67% in two years ending 2024 (see the table above). There are some universities which offer almost ‘nil’ tuition fee for engineering and science courses, which is a huge draw for Indian students.
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