Indian students have a greater likelihood of staying back in developed countries

By: Lakshita Bhagat

Of 4.36 lakh Indian students, many of them preferred the US, UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada as their destinations for tertiary education

According to the recently released 46^th edition of the International Migration Outlook 2022 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the majority of international students in the economically developed OECD countries come from Asia (59% of all international students, see the chart below). Of 4.36 lakh Indian students, many of them preferred the US, UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada as their destinations for tertiary education.

Students enrolled in OECD countries by origin country and percentage relative to in-country enrolment, 2013-2020

Source: International Migration Outlook (46^th Edition) (OECD, 2022, p. 124)

 However, Indian students are more likely to stay back in the developed countries of North America, Europe, and Oceania after the completion of their studies. This figure appears especially significant when compared with China, students from where account for 22% of all international students vis-à-vis India which accounts for 10% of all international students to the OECD countries. Comparatively, more Indian than Chinese students stay back in the host countries either on an extended permit or work permit after five years of their arrival. Overall, the likelihood to stay back was highest among Indian students among all the international students.

Most Indian students have opted to study STEM, particularly engineering, in higher education (beyond a bachelor's) according them a better chance of transitioning into the labour market and eventually better prospects. The flow of Indian students to these countries has greatly increased over the last decade. The previous generation of international Indian students has positively impacted the flow of a greater number of students.

The destination countries for international students encourage the study and retention of foreign students for one, they are a great source of revenue and two, the students contribute positively to the economy once they are part of the labour market.

It is worth noting that the percentage of international Indian students while high in absolute numbers and in relative terms of overall international students’ intake, number of Indian students is not too high when compared with its in-country student enrolment in tertiary education (see chart above). Nonetheless, back home, concerns around the ‘brain drain’ had flared up yet again when the data about Indians renouncing their citizenship came into the public domain. Over the years, the Indian government has come up with several initiatives to attract Indian talent back.