The restrictive visa policies introduced by the “Big Four” study-abroad destinations namely the US, the UK, Canada and Australia over the past 18 months have resulted in these ceding ground in student enrollments from India and other countries.
Students from India, the largest source of foreign students in in the Big Four countries, are increasingly opting for “non-traditional” destinations, like those in Asia and Europe, for their undergrad and post-graduation studies.
The shift in demand for “Big Four” to the next tier called “Big 14” is fuelled by the flexible immigration policies, affordability, clearer career pathways, and rising job opportunities, sources in the study-abroad industry said.
Industry players are also witnessing a shift in students’ mindset in India who are giving preference to return on investments, accessibility, and opportunity over legacy biases. The lure of marquee universities in Big Four is waning, partly due to the high costs, and less than commensurate job market advantage.
“While the US, UK, Canada, and Australia remain aspirational, restrictive visa policies, rising costs, and uncertainty are making students to look East and deeper into Europe. For today’s students, it’s less about where the degree comes from, and more about what it empowers them to do next,” said Karunn Kandoi, founder and CEO of Vidysea Education.
Outside of the “Big Four”, European countries like Germany, Italy, and The Netherlands, France and Sweden attract the most student interests globally, said the latest Global Enrolment Benchmark Survey. It also points out that the relative interest in France, Austria, Ireland and Spain has surged 20-30% over the past year. “Malaysia, Japan, China, and South Korea are gaining market share of student interest, as is the United Arab Emirates and South Africa,” the survey said.
Experts said that there are two cohorts of students emerging. Despite policy headwinds, the first cohort of Indian students continues to see the US, UK, Australia, and Canada as top destinations, underlined by the fact that these destinations make up 60% of the world’s top 200 institutes.
“The second cohort of students are predominantly driven by getting a longer-term post-study visa and the aspiration of studying abroad. And at this point, many students from this group are seemingly looking at alternate destinations that offer easier entry,” said Piyush Kumar, regional director (South Asia, Canada and LATAM) at IDP Education.
Even as the “non-traditional” destinations are gaining ground, the “Big Four” are dealing with their own set of problems. For instance, in the case of US, the recent policy uncertainty, and the standoff between the Trump administration and Ivy League universities like Harvard are dampening the sentiments of Indian students planning to pursue higher education in the US. Study abroad platforms in India are reporting a 30% drop in applications in the recent weeks, especially since the reports of US government planning to terminate the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme emerged. The OPT programme allows international students to work in the US for 12 months after graduation.
Similarly, Canada is facing the steepest decline as 73% of institutions reported a drop in undergraduate enrolments in January-March 2025 period which is far more than any other region, said the survey quoted above.