Germany, Russia, & Uzbekistan See Surge In Indian Student Enrolments Amid Policy Shifts In US, UK & Canada

There is a quiet revolution in the global education market with Indian students looking beyond the traditional English-speaking nations. Germany, Russia, and Uzbekistan are fast emerging as top destinations, driven by the low tuition fees, globally recognised degrees, and liberal visa policies, according to ApplyBoard reports.

About 35,000 Indian students arrived in Germany in 2024, about twice as many as did so five years prior. The country’s reputation for low-cost public education and strong engineering and technical programs continues to draw interest.

Russia also experienced a drastic surge, welcoming nearly 31,400 Indian students this year. Its affordable and readily available medical degrees are a perennial attraction for those seeking quality education without the cost label common in Western nations.

According to the ApplyBoard report, the unexpected surge, however, came from Uzbekistan. With just 300 Indian students in 2019, that number has grown to almost 10,000 in 2024. The Central Asian country is quickly gaining on Indian students, particularly in the area of medicine, due to English-language classes and lower tuition rates than traditional destinations.

This shift comes against the backdrop of evolving immigration and education policies in traditionally preferred countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

According to India’s Bureau of Immigration, around 7.6 lakh Indian students went abroad in 2024—a testament to the growing global academic ambitions of young Indians. But their destination choices are no longer as predictable.

An ApplyBoard report shows that while the US remains the most popular country—with 2.04 lakh Indian students in 2024—it saw a 13% decline from the previous year. Canada, which has long enjoyed strong interest from Indian students, recorded an 8% drop in study permit holders, now standing at 3.93 lakh. The UK, impacted by recent restrictions on bringing dependents, experienced a 4% decrease.

Australia was the only country to stay ahead, with 1.39 lakh Indian students in 2024, up by 11%. But with the new higher visa fees and stricter English language tests, experts forecast that this increase will not be maintained in the long term.

A few Indian students are rethinking their decisions as conventional destinations become stricter with regulations, setting their sights on affordability, accessibility, and quality programs in their place, in the process, expanding the map of international education.