Indian students look beyond US; Germany posts record growth in 2024-25: Report

MUMBAI: Applications to the US universities have dropped 13 per cent year-over-year, as Indian students are increasingly favouring destinations like Germany, which saw a jump of 32.6 per cent in 2024-25, a report said on Thursday.

The United States is no longer the default coveted destination for Indian students, with applications to the US universities dropping by 13 per cent YoY, while European destinations like Germany (up from 13.2 per cent in 2022 to 32.6 per cent in 2024-25) and the UAE (where 42 per cent of international students are Indian) are witnessing unprecedented traction, said Transnational Education (TNE) Report 2024-25 by edtech company upGrad.

The Middle East is quickly becoming a pragmatic and accessible study-abroad destination for Indian students, offering degree programs from global campuses, it said.

In Dubai and Qatar's Education City, satellite campuses of elite US universities including Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, RIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Weill Cornell offer the same degrees as their home institutions, added the report.

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Top destinations for Indian students

In 2022, the US (19 per cent) and Canada (18 per cent) were the top destinations for Indian students, revealed the report. By 2023, the US had surged to nearly 60 per cent, before settling at 47 per cent due to multiple factors, it stated, adding that two years later, the landscape shifted because it made career sense. The

Transnational Education (TNE) Report 2024-25, is based on a survey of over one lakh respondents, predominantly from India, conducted from January 2024 to May 2025.

The report further revealed that Canada also witnessed a reduced applications from 18 per cent in 2022 to 9 per cent in FY25. Meanwhile, it said, despite concerns around policy changes, the UK still attracts tens of thousands of students from India each year, thanks to its globally ranked universities, shorter postgraduate degrees and wide subject offerings. But alongside the UK's dominance, Ireland has quickly carved out its own space as well, it said.