Indian students’ most-preferred destinations for education in 2024-25: US slipped at #2; UAE makes debut

Why it matters

Top 10 most-preferred countries for Indian students in 2024-25: The United Kingdom moved to 3rd spot, overtaking Australia.

Key takeaways

• Australia had held the position since 2016 and 2020, despite a modest increase to 1,22,000 students this year.
• Top 10 Study Abroad Destinations Gaining Popularity Among Indian Students 2025: Latest report by NITI Aayog Study shows which countries are emerging as top education hubs for Indian students in 2025.Top 10 most-preferred countries for Indian students in 2024-25: Globalisation and the growing ambition for high-quality higher education have led to a significant increase in the number of Indian students choosing to study abroad.India, known as one of the world’s largest sources of international students, has experienced a robust and sustained rise in outbound student mobility, with an 8.84 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2016 and 2024, according to a data highlighted in the NITI Aayog‘s report on the Internationalization of Higher Education in India, published on December 22, 2025.While the United States has long been a favoured destination for Indian students, it has seen a slight decline in outbound Indian students — from 4,24,000 in 2016 to 3,38,000 in 2024, according to the report.This is primarily due to Canada’s notable rise of 350 per cent in popularity as a study destination for Indian students, which led it to climb to the top position in both 2020 and 2024, with 1.79 lakh and 4.27 lakh Indian students moving to the country for education, respectively.Australia has consistently held the third position since 2016 and 2020, but has now dropped to fourth place in 2024, despite a modest increase to 1,22,000 students this year.Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has overtaken Australia, moving into third place, with this shift reflecting a substantial increase in Indian student numbers, rising from just 16,559 in 2016 to 90,300 in 2020 and further to 1,85,000 by 2024.Additionally, the report introduced new countries — the UAE and Kyrgyzstan — making their debut on the list in 2024.The report indicated that this diversification in choices among Indian students is due to a preference for countries offering more affordable education, particularly in fields like medicine and technology.