India’s “Study in India” (SII) program failed to meet its target of hosting 200,000 international students by 2023. A report by government think-tank NITI Aayog identifies “visa and regulatory bottlenecks” and “inflexible curricula” as key reasons. NITI Aayog now aims to attract 500,000 foreign students by 2047, recommending significant policy changes.
Study in India Falls Short of Target
The Ministry of Education launched the Study in India program in 2018. It aimed to boost inbound student mobility and offer an alternative to traditional study-abroad destinations. The program sought to attract 200,000 international students by 2023. This target was not met, according to the NITI Aayog report, titled “Internationalisation of Higher Education in India.”
India experienced a 42% increase in international student enrollment between 2012 and 2019. Numbers peaked at 49,348 students in 2019-20. This growth was driven by affordable tuition, English-medium programs, and government scholarships. India’s cultural ties with South Asia and parts of Africa also contributed.
The global COVID-19 pandemic caused a decline. Enrollment dipped to 48,035 in 2020-21 and 46,878 in 2021-22. NITI Aayog now sets an ambitious goal of 500,000 international students by 2047 .
In 2021-22, Karnataka hosted the highest number of international students at 5,954. Punjab followed with 5,847 students.
Key Barriers for International Students
NITI Aayog’s report highlights several structural and systemic barriers. These prevent India from attracting and retaining international students:
- Visa and Regulatory Bottlenecks: Visa processes are complex and time-consuming. India lacks a fast-track academic visa category, deterring potential students.
- Infrastructure Gaps: Fewer than 15% of Indian institutions meet global standards. Basic needs, including visa support, grievance redressal, and banking access, are underdeveloped.
- Insufficient Student Support: Under 10% of surveyed institutions provide guidance or dedicated services for international students.
- Rigid Curriculum: Indian curricula are not aligned with global trends. They tend to be rigid, with few interdisciplinary programs.
- Scholarship and Delivery Gaps: Advertised scholarships have unclear eligibility criteria. Selection processes lack transparency, and students report delays in receiving funds.
- Weak Global Visibility: Indian institutions show inadequate branding abroad. They participate little in global education fairs. Alumni networks remain underutilized.
- Limited Stakeholder Collaboration: Public-private partnerships for international promotion, visa logistics, student onboarding, and infrastructure development remain underutilized.
The report also notes challenges in increasing institutional endowments. India’s regulatory framework does not fully support endowment growth. Institutions struggle with fundraising due to a lack of established donation culture and professional fund management systems.
NITI Aayog Recommendations for Improvement
NITI Aayog proposes 22 recommendations across five domains: Strategy, Regulation, Finance, Branding, and Curriculum. Key recommendations include:
- Inter-Ministerial Task Force: Establish a task force with ministries of education, external affairs, home affairs, science and technology, skill development, and finance. This body will develop and oversee strategy implementation.
- Unified Degree Equivalence System: Create a system for international degree recognition.
- Regional Higher Education Hubs: Develop hubs focused on Science, Engineering, Arts, Maths, Management, Medicine (STEAM 3). These hubs will foster collaboration among universities, industry, government, and civil society.
- Ease of Regulation: Simplify visa regimes and establish clear post-study work pathways for international students. Improve regulatory transparency for teaching partnerships.
- Attracting Global Faculty: Create an enabling financial and administrative environment to attract international faculty and researchers. Current salary packages and tax frameworks pose challenges.
- Broaden Institutional Eligibility: Expand eligibility criteria for institutions. Facilitate evaluation for those not appearing in Top 500 Global Rankings.
- Integrated Campuses: Establish integrated or co-located campuses within existing Indian public and private institutions.
- Bharat Vidya Kosh: Launch a National Research Sovereign Wealth Impact Fund.
- Vishwa Bandhu Scholarship: Introduce a prestigious scholarship program for international students pursuing two-year master’s programs, modeled after global benchmarks.
- Curriculum Reforms: Promote interdisciplinary coursework, reflective thinking, communication skills, and international academic standards in leading Indian Higher Education Institutions.
These recommendations aim to overhaul the Study in India program. They seek to position India as a leading global education destination by 2047.