Indian students, global universities face the brunt of visa denials

The cost burden on international students compared to local peers in major study destinations varies

foreign visa — International students contributed nearly $50 billion to the US economy in 2023–24, with 51 per cent of the amount coming from tuition and fees.

3 min read Last Updated : Apr 10 2025 | 10:37 PM IST

International students are a pillar of the global education economy, but they face hurdles as visa rejection rates soar in major countries. Denials in the United States (US) hit a 10-year high in 2023–24, when 41 per cent of foreign student visa applications were rejected. Canada’s student visa rejections increased from 38 per cent in 2023 to 52 per cent in 2024.

International students contributed nearly $50 billion to the US economy in 2023–24, with 51 per cent of the amount coming from tuition and fees. Indian students accounted for nearly a quarter of this economic contribution, underscoring their importance for the American higher education system. (Chart 1)

The cost burden on international students compared to local peers in major study destinations varies. In the US, international students pay tuition fees that are on average 200 per cent higher than what American citizens do. The disparity is greater in Canada, where international students pay 430 per cent more than their local counterparts.

In the UK, international students face a 150 per cent higher tuition fee. (Chart 2)

Indian students are a dominant force in global higher education. In the US, their share in total international students has grown from 17.9 per cent in 2019–20 to 29.4 per cent in 2023–24. Indians are becoming the largest demographic among international students in American universities. (Chart 3)

Indian students make up a significant share of the international student population in Canada as well, contributing heavily to tuition revenue. In the UK, Indian students overtook the Chinese for the first time in two decades in 2022–23. There were more than 125,000 Indians that year, comprising 16.7 per cent of all international students, the highest proportion for any nationality.

As visa restrictions grow, the future of global student mobility becomes uncertain and has potential long-term consequences for higher education institutions and the economies that benefit from it.