Despite NEP push, universities yet to attract foreign students, faculty

Six years after NEP 2020, Indian universities are still struggling to attract foreign students and improve global reputation despite major internationalisation reforms

Six years after the National Education Policy (NEP) set out an ambitious roadmap for internationalising Indian higher education, domestic universities continue to lag on key global indicators including academic reputation, international student enrolment and foreign faculty presence.

 

The QS World University Rankings 2027 showed that while Indian institutions improved on research impact and employability, gains in internationalisation remained limited. Only 8 per cent of Indian universities improved their academic reputation scores, while 28 per cent declined. Meanwhile, 90 per cent of institutions recorded no improvement in international student metrics, despite government initiatives such as the Study in India programme, UGC regulations on internationalisation, and efforts to attract foreign universities and students.

 

Experts argue that the challenge is no longer a lack of policy intent but difficulty of implementation. 

 

“Countries such as Australia, Canada and the UK have spent decades building strong national education brands supported by coordinated global marketing efforts. While Study in India has created momentum, awareness of India as a higher education destination remains relatively limited across many key source markets beyond South Asia and Africa,” said Saurabh Arora, founder and chief executive officer of University Living, a student accommodation provider. He added that India’s difficulty in attracting foreign students stems from limited global visibility, inconsistent student experience and gaps in institutional internationalisation.

 

Experts underscore the lack of uniformity in implementation, with many universities still developing international offices, overseas partnerships, exchange programmes and foreign faculty recruitment strategies needed to attract international students at scale. Beyond visibility, students increasingly evaluate destinations on career outcomes and post-study opportunities. 

 

Abhijit Zaveri, managing director of Career Mosaic, a higher education recruitment consultancy, said India has not yet built a strong value proposition for globally mobile students beyond affordability. Unlike destinations where post-study work opportunities, employability pathways and migration clarity influence decisions, India lacks a structured link between education and career outcomes.

 

“Unlike single-window higher education ecosystems in leading study destinations, India presents uneven institutional quality, inconsistent admissions processes, and limited standardisation in student services. This creates friction at every stage of the decision journey,” said Zaveri.

 

Beyond student recruitment, sector leaders argue that improving India's global standing will require stronger research ecosystems and deeper international academic engagement.

 

“India needs to move from policy intent to institutional execution. Universities need more autonomy with accountability, stronger faculty recruitment and performance systems, faster curriculum renewal, globally benchmarked student services and deeper industry-linked learning pathways. If India wants to attract more foreign students, it must also make the proposition clearer: High-quality education, affordable cost, safe campus life, internships, work exposure and meaningful career pathways,” said Shantanu Rooj, founder and chief executive officer of TeamLease EdTech, an education technology company.

 

Rooj said gaps in global visibility, student support services, curriculum flexibility and campus infrastructure continue to affect India's attractiveness.

 

The internationalisation push has gathered pace since the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, with the Centre and the University Grants Commission (UGC) rolling out measures such as the Study in India programme, regulations permitting foreign university campuses in India, guidelines for overseas campuses by Indian institutions, and frameworks for joint and dual degree programmes. The reforms aim to boost inbound student mobility, deepen international academic collaborations and position India as a global higher education hub.

 

Even premier institutions face structural constraints. Rajnish Kumar, professor and head of the School of Sustainability at IIT Madras, said admissions requirements such as JEE Advanced and GATE limit flexibility in enlisting international students despite growing international collaborations.

 

“The foreign student count will improve. However, two factors must be kept in mind, IITs can't hire UG students without JEE Advance. Also, PG programmes in IITM require one to clear exams like GATE. These are the decisions taken at government level. These parameters would improve with time,” said Kumar.

 

The importance of international exposure is also reflected in student preferences. Debajyoti Halder, who is set to join Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands later this year, said the diversity of a university's student body is an important consideration when evaluating institutions abroad. 

 

“Global parameters are very important for us. We look at how many international students they take in a year. For instance, if a university only has Indians, I get discouraged because multi-cultural exposure is a big factor for us. Lower foreign students also tells a lot about how open a university is to foreign students, especially with visa curbs becoming rampant across nations,” said Halder. 

 

Chaitanya Chitta, senior vice-president and regional head at Cintana Education, a higher education consulting firm, said India must better position its higher education offering around strengths such as affordability, entrepreneurship, innovation and digital transformation to attract students beyond Africa and South Asian countries. He said the next opportunity lies in markets across South East Asia and Central Asia, where demand for short-term mobility is already emerging. 

 

“There is clear interest in short-term mobility from countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and the Central Asian republics. The bigger challenge is packaging the Indian higher education experience around what only India can offer: Scale, complexity, affordability, entrepreneurship, digital transformation, startup ecosystems and innovation,” Chitta added. 

What experts say 

• The challenge is no longer a lack of policy intent but difficulty of implementation
• Difficulty in attracting foreign students stems from limited global visibility, inconsistent student experience
• Lack of uniformity in implementation. Many universities still developing international offices