Overview
- Bureau of Immigration figures presented in the Rajya Sabha show departures for study fell from 9,08,364 in 2023 to 7,70,127 in 2024 and 6,26,606 in 2025.
- The counts reflect travellers who declared “study/education” as their purpose of visit, not admissions or enrollments, and the official reply omitted destination breakdowns.
- Journalistic analysis links part of the decline to 2024 policy tightening in major destinations such as Canada, the UK and the USA, including caps and stricter visa rules.
- The government frames overseas study as an individual choice shaped by affordability, loan access and academic interests, while emphasizing the value of a strong diaspora.
- Under NEP 2020, the UGC has issued letters of intent to 14 foreign institutions from Australia, Italy, the UK and the USA to open campuses in India, with five cleared to operate in GIFT City, Gujarat.