According to a presentation by Navitas Australia, outbound student mobility from South Asia is projected to grow by over 4% by 2030, with the region accounting for 15% of the global share of international students.
The region has now become a hotspot for student recruitment and transnational educational opportunities for prominent international universities.
Being such an important market, 2024 has been a mixed bag for stakeholders from South Asia.
Despite growth in enrolments, TNE, university partnerships, and more, policy changes in major study destinations, including Canada and Australia, has led to a shift in student mobility trends in 2024 followed by renewed expectations for 2025.
India remains South Asia’s biggest market
In India, the country poised to become the largest source of international students and workers in the coming years, the impact of policy changes has been particularly pronounced.
“The year 2024 marked a pivotal shift in the global education landscape, with policy changes across traditional study-abroad destinations like the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK creating new challenges for students,” said Aritra Ghosal, founder and director, OneStep Global.
“These nations introduced measures such as stricter visa regulations, enrolment caps, and increased financial requirements, urging students and institutions alike to rethink strategies for navigating this dynamic environment.”
While Canada further reduced the study permit cap by 10% from the 2024 target of 485,000, along with implementing new PGWP requirements, curbs on a fast-track study-permit processing system, and financial requirements, Australia has made visa approvals harder, and updated its visa processing directive amid a heated debate on a new bill aiming to cap international enrolments.
The policy decisions have led to a change in perception of the ‘big four’ countries, opening the avenue for other European, and Asia-Pacific nations.
“Emerging destinations like Ireland, Finland, New Zealand, and Germany have taken advantage of these shifts by offering streamlined policies and lucrative post-study work opportunities,” said Ghosal.
The number of Indian students studying abroad is projected to reach 1.5 million by 2025
Saurabh Arora, University Living
University Living, a global student accommodation platform, recently released a report titled European Student Landscape 2024-25, which found that Europe has seen a 58% increase in student mobility since 2015.
“Driven by geo-political situations, safe housing options, comparable cost of living, diverse set of courses to choose from, and availability of courses in English language are some of the factors driving the change in a big way,” said Saurabh Arora, founder and CEO, University Living.
Though the US introduced some changes concerning international students, including a now revised restriction on F1 visa holders, the country remains the leading host country for international students in 2024.
Despite some reports concerning a 38% drop in study visa issuances to Indian students in the first nine months of 2024, the US will remain lucrative to them, according to Manisha Zaveri, joint managing director, Career Mosaic.
“In 2024, Indian students have continued to favor STEM fields, with a notable increase in interdisciplinary course preferences. Traditional markets like the US remain strong, bolstered by improved OPT and H-1B prospects for STEM graduates,” said Zaveri.
“For 2025, we anticipate a surge in US-bound student numbers, driven by its robust STEM offerings, while Europe is likely to grow in popularity.”
India is expected to be the epicentre of international education in 2025 as it sees a record number of students abroad coupled with TNE initiatives ramping up.
“According to the Indian Student Mobility Report 2024, the number of Indian students studying abroad is projected to reach 1.5 million by 2025, up from 1.3 million in 2023,” stated Arora.
“Additionally, prestigious international universities are establishing campuses in India, such as the University of Southampton in Delhi-NCR, which aims to enrol a large number of students annually.”
As for challenges in the Indian market, there’s a list which stakeholders believe should be tackled on priority.
“The key challenges in 2025 include addressing affordability, enhancing transparency in the recruitment process, and friendly visa policies. Geopolitical instability, housing crises, and visa appointment issues need urgent attention,” stated Zaveri.
“Additionally, combating fraudulent recruitment practices and promoting ethical guidelines for enrollment will be critical.”
“Indian students must focus on understanding evolving policies, leveraging resources like university support systems, and aligning their educational choices with global career trends,” said Ghosal.
“Diversifying outreach efforts to regions like South Asia will help maintain competitiveness in an increasingly diverse and discerning global education market.”
Pakistan: A rising source country
Though a smaller market, over 103,000 students from Pakistan were studying abroad, as of 2022.
According to the British Council, outbound student mobility from Pakistan is projected to experience some of the highest growth globally over the next decade, alongside countries like China, India, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.
Though 2024 was a tricky year for outbound student mobility in Pakistan, a lot of new changes have come into picture.
“We noted that more students started exploring options in other EU destinations rather than traditional ones like Australia, UK, Canada and the US due to costs, visa regulations and ease of getting admissions,” said Dr. Osamah Qureshi, director of student counselling services at Institute of Career Development in Pakistan.
According to Qureshi, higher visa fees in the case of Australia and restrictions in dependent visas in the UK, have led to less traditional destinations becoming more popular.
“Some destinations emerged as new popular choices, like Ireland, which attracted students due to being an English-speaking country in the EU. Numbers for Australia decreased in 2024, numbers for the UK remained steady, numbers for Ireland grew, and numbers for Canada also decreased.”
With Pakistan still facing economic woes, amid another billion-dollar IMF bailout, the country’s middle class are making efforts to fulfil their study abroad dreams.
“Due to economical conditions and devalued Pakistani Rupee, students and their parents have to arrange funds for fee and visa applications, so a trend of selling properties and arranging funds has also been witnessed in 2024,” stated Qureshi.
But 2025 is expected to be a significant year for Pakistan’s international education sector.
“The testing landscape will remain competitive, with IELTS dominating the market while PTE and LanguageCert follow closely behind. TOEFL, Skills for English, and other tests are expected to maintain a limited presence,” said Qureshi.
“Meanwhile, the Pakistani government is actively encouraging new transnational education agreements with international universities, signaling the likelihood of more partnerships, as seen in 2024.”
Trends in Nepal
Similar to other South Asian markets, policy changes in major study destinations pushed Nepalese students to consider alternative options.
“We have seen a good shift of students for Luxembourg, Finland and Norway in recent times. Students have been captivated towards studying more in Europe lately and will continue to do so in 2025,” said Garriema Bista, an education consultant based in Kathmandu.
“Students who come to the counseling desk are more aware of destination countries, the value of the courses they apply for, and the benefits they gain in a particular destination during and after graduation,” said BK Shrestha, CEO, Study Global.
“This has made our job a little easier compared to previous years. The direction of mobility is determined by the value of the degree, process complications, costs, and post-study opportunities in the destination country.”
But despite the preference for destinations outside of traditional destinations, Nepalese students have emerged as a significant cohort in UK universities, as reported by The PIE News.
According to an ApplyBoard report, more than 8,500 students from Nepal were granted UK study visas in 2023, marking an 83% increase compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, Nepalese students choosing to study in the US and Canada rose, with 9,200 and 16,000 students being issued visas in 2023, respectively.
According to Shrestha, a significant number of students are also choosing Japan, with over 9,600 Nepalese students applying for an NOC.
With the country already mandating rules requiring Nepalese students to apply for a legal document that enables them to study abroad, more changes are expected in 2025.
“We can expect new governing laws for the education consultancy sector in 2025, as the government is preparing to table a new bill. Many consultancies may downsize, with one-third of them failing to renew their registrations. Only consultancies that demonstrate greater flexibility, efficiency, and integrity are likely to survive,” stated Shrestha.
Once popular among students from Nepal, Australia has witnessed declining interest in the country.
While 57,000 Nepalese students are currently enrolled in Australian institutions, only 11,000 were granted visas this year, a sharp contrast to the 23,000 granted in 2023.
But Mukesh Dhamala, director of offshore, Australian Harbour International College believes Australia is still an attractive VET destination for Nepalese students.
“The vocational sector (VET) in 2024 showed steady interest from Nepalese students, who appreciated its affordable course fees and job-oriented structure. However, the real potential for VET is expected to materialize in 2025 with an increased range of course options and provider improvements,” said Dhamala.
“The primary challenges for both higher education and VET include inconsistent visa processing, high refusal rates, and the lack of awareness about the benefits of vocational pathways.”
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka navigate through policy changes in 2024
In 2024, both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka faced shifts in student mobility, navigating a year of uncertainty but also seeing growth.
Bangladesh saw a rise in enrolments to the US, driven by favourable visa policies and post-study work opportunities, while regional options like Malaysia and China gained traction.
“While the UK and the US remain favourites, an increasing number of students are turning to regional options like Malaysia, China, and even Japan, which offer affordable education and government-funded scholarships,” said Ujjol Mia, CEO, Aspire Global Pathways.
“There’s also growing demand for European countries such as Denmark, Hungary, Malta, Finland, and France. Looking ahead to 2025, the diversification of study destinations is expected to continue.”
With Bangladesh witnessing student protests in 2024, which led to the ouster of former leader Sheikh Hasina, the quota system and rising unemployment were cited as major reasons for Bangladeshi students to study abroad.
In Sri Lanka, one of the largest TNE partners for the UK and Australia, international and domestic education sectors are expected to see major developments.
“Sri Lanka continues to show growth in outbound student mobility and it is expected that this number will exceed 32,000 by 2027,” said Suresh Gunasekera, director, operations and finance, Campus Direct.
The island country also saw Anura Dissanayake-led National People’s Power emerge victorious in the Sri Lankan elections, on a strong mandate promising economic stability and education reforms.
“The NPP in its manifesto proposed to regulate private education in Sri Lanka across school, skills and higher education sectors and a gradual increment for education expenditure up to 6% of the GDP. These policy implementations will no doubt help boost the local higher education sector, a topic of discussion for many years.” stated Gunasekera.
According to Gunasekera, certain policy changes led to the UK seeing a drop in master’s applicants from Sri Lanka, which has opened a pathway for other countries.
“New Zealand has become a hot topic amongst students looking for Masters study options and we have seen more and more students successfully receiving visa grants over the past few months,” stated Gunasekera.
“In other destinations, Finland, Netherlands, Ireland and Sweden have gained popularity amongst students looking for alternate study destinations.”
