According to reports, in 2019, as many as 770000 Indian students moved abroad for higher education. And, by 2024, this number is anticipated to exceed and would reach 1.8 million. Among Indian students, the United Kingdom has long been a popular destination for higher education. Studying in the United Kingdom which may have several premier universities with long heritages, educational institutions in these newly ascending destinations most often render comparable quality at very less cost. However, in recent days several other avenues have opened up in Asia & Australia. Unfortunately, since the United Kingdom plans to restrict the number of foreign students with an aim to control migration, let us have a look at some of the most popular study abroad alternative destinations for Indian students.
Hong Kong
While Hong Kong is a highly cosmopolitan, ultra-modern city & home to several international banks, it is slowly emerging as the top destination for Indian students as a study abroad country. While it comprises a large Indian community, university accommodation is also cost-effective.
The island country has some of the best educational infrastructure and the top 3 institutions. These include the City University of Hong Kong, HKUST, & The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
These rank among the top fifty global universities of the QS World Rankings, while a few of the best courses in mathematics, accounting & finance, modern languages & statistics are rendered in Hong Kong.
Australia
Australia's leading universities are located in Sydney, Perth & Melbourne and are popular with students from India for their business, humanities, tourism, engineering, medicine & other courses. The course levels include associate degrees, bachelor's, master's & PhD. While tuition is not very expensive and affordable, with bachelor's degrees costing as low as AUD 10000, there are several scholarships offered by the Australian government & new visa application rules which relax assessment levels for Indians have made it even easier for Indian students to study Down Under.
However, when it comes to post-study work, there is a post-study work visa available that lets candidates for seeking employment after finishing their Masters, Bachelors or Doctoral degrees.
Singapore
Another economic powerhouse & a cosmopolitan Asian city, with high chances of employment in the country after graduation for international students, is Singapore. Many of the Singapore universities rank among the highest in QS World Rankings and some of these include the Management Development Institute of Singapore, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, NUS, Singapore Management University, Nanyang Technological University LASALLE College of Arts and MAGES Institute of Excellence.
Apart from technological & art courses, Singapore is also famous for students who wish to pursue law, combined Post Graduation courses in engineering & management, design, animation as well as game development. Several Singapore institutions also provide scholarships for international students with a 'work in Singapore' clause.
Although Singapore holds a high cost of living, the tuition fee is far less when compared to that in the United Kingdom. The Singapore Ministry of Education website lists the many scholarships that are made available to students and financial aid are particularly rendered by NTU, NUS, & SMU. However, post-study work visa norms are strict and students can stay only for 2-3 months post their course completion in order to seek a job and those who would like to stay on should apply for work permits.
New Zealand
Universities in New Zealand, while less common with international students than Australia, also draw several Indian students among its 90000, yearly student influx owing to its beautiful landscapes and desirable lifestyle. New Zealand allows full-time international students to work part-time for at most 20 hours a week. The New Zealand government also lets students stay on for a year after they complete their studies in order to seek work in the country.
While the universities in New Zealand have a strong research-centric curriculum, its higher education institutions are highly regarded, globally. Furthermore, Scholarships are also rendered for talented students. Courses range from traditional academic courses to hospitality as well as scuba diving, at various levels such as diploma, polytechnic degree, & vocational levels.
Canada
Although Canada is one of the popular destinations for one lakh eighty thousand international students every year, the country not only renders a lot of tourist attractions, but it is also a country with cosmopolitan cities with low crime rates & cutting-edge culture. It is considered one of the most educated countries in the world & is one of the top 3 spenders per capita on post-secondary education. As many as 12 Canadian universities feature in the Times Higher Education Supplement Top 200.
The courses offered in Canada comprise either one-year certificate programs or one/two-year diplomas, four-year bachelor degrees, one- or two-year Masters degrees & PhDs as well. However, famous courses comprise PGDM, Bachelor of Engineering & Bachelor of Administrative Studies, MS, MBA as well as LLB degrees.
