Indian classrooms are becoming more and more popular around the world, but the patterns of where students come from and where they study remain unchanged.The latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2023-24 shows that Nepal continues to be the main source of foreign students coming to India. Karnataka has emerged as the state with the highest number of students in the world, ahead of Punjab.These figures also show a steady rise in interest in India as an educational destination. The number of students from other countries has increased by about 19 percent over the past five years, with students from 173 countries studying in Indian universities during the 2023-24 academic year.The Ministry of Education launched the Study in India (SII) program in 2018 to attract international students. A recent survey provides one of the clearest pictures of how the service is changing subscriptions.
Nepal remains the main source of Indian students in India
The study found that Nepal accounted for 24.1 percent of all foreign students enrolled in India in 2023-2024. In other words, almost one out of every four international students studying in India came from neighboring countries.The United Arab Emirates (UAE) followed with a share of 7 percent.The United States and Bangladesh each provided 5.9 percent of foreign students, while Nigeria had 5.5 percent and Zimbabwe 4 percent.Together, the top 10 countries accounted for 63.8 percent of all foreign students enrolled in India, indicating that a large share continues to flow from a small group of countries.At the same time, Indian schools welcomed students from countries spread across the region, including Lebanon, Burkina Faso, Mongolia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Chile.
Karnataka bordering Punjab
Where students choose to study in India is another trend highlighted in the report.Karnataka emerged as the leading destination for foreign students, with 7,914 international students enrolled in its higher education institutions.Punjab followed closely with 7,902 students.Maharashtra secured the third position with 6,190 students, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 5,953 and Tamil Nadu with 5,694.These figures show that established educational institutions continue to attract a large number of applicants from around the world.
Undergraduate studies remain very interesting
Many international students in India are pursuing higher education. According to the survey, 73.6 percent of all foreign students enrolled in undergraduate studies.A total of 42,779 students attended primary school. Of these, 27,849 were men and 14,930 were women.Postgraduate programs accounted for another 9,845 students, representing 16.8 percent of all foreign enrollments.Smaller numbers are enrolled in diploma, doctoral, certificate and integrated programs.
International student numbers continue to grow
The survey also shows an increase in the number of international students over the past five years. India had 48,898 foreign students in 2019-2020. By 2023-2024, this number had increased to 58,134.This is an increase of 9,236 students, or 18.9 percent.The increase was seen among both male and female students. The number of men increased from 32,386 in 2019-20 to 37,295 in 2023-24. At the same time, the number of female students increased from 16,512 to 20,839.The All India Survey on Higher Education is an annual initiative of the Ministry of Education to map India’s higher education system.High schools across the country upload information through the online Data Capture Format (DCF), detailing student enrollment, faculty, staff, infrastructure and test results.The survey is the government’s database of higher education and is used to plan, develop policies and monitor developments in all areas.This year’s international student numbers show that India is attracting international students while continuing to rely on its neighboring countries to establish educational institutions.