Singapore, Canada, Germany are among the new destinations weaning away Indian students from traditional education hotspots like the US and the UK on the back of advantages in terms of lower fees and living expenses, an Assocham study has found.
"There are many reasons for this changing trend such as fees and living expenses, global exposure and cultural experiences and internship and placement opportunities".
"It is also because of a decline of Indian students going to the UK and the US with the UK tightening visa rules and the US job market experiencing a slowdown," the study noted.
According to the study, there has been a significant rise of 15-20 per cent in the number of students travelling abroad in new destinations for higher education.
Other countries like Sweden, Denmark, Italy, and Ireland are also in Indian students' consideration list. The study observes that Indian students are looking at countries where education is considerably cheaper and part-time jobs are easier to secure.
For design and fashion, the most desired destinations by Indian students are Italy and France. For hospitality management, students prefer countries like Switzerland and Australia, the study found.
As per the study, more than 85,000 Indians went abroad in 2005 and the number shot up to 2.9 lakh in 2013.
