Emergence of Europe As A Top Study Destination and What the Future Holds

At EduGo Abroad, we have witnessed a steady uptick in the number of Indian students opting to study in Europe, particularly in countries like Ireland, Germany, Denmark, and so on. For the longest time, students would generally perceive the US, Canada, Australia and the UK as the places where one ought to be. It’s not that Europe wasn’t seen as a coveted destination, but students were usually inclined towards studying in the aforementioned countries as they felt that their economic standing and policies were conducive to their cause of finding a job and possibly settling down in that country for the foreseeable future. When the pandemic was at its peak, foreign education didn’t skip a beat as the number of students leaving for these countries annually continued to rise and was forecasted to rise close to 2 million in 2024-2025.

This really hasn’t been the case though, however. In fact, overall interest has declined this year as suggested by an analysis of their own database by education financer GyanDhan. The analysis, conducted across state lines, concludes that there “has been a significant 22% drop in the number of students looking for abroad education loans as compared to the same period last year. This decrease in interest was even more pronounced in some states. Telangana witnessed a 30% drop and Gujarat, a 35% drop.”

Heart of the Matter

What could be driving this? Well, as far as we’ve observed, the job markets in these countries haven’t really fared well, and students have had a hard time finding and holding down jobs. It was always difficult to find jobs in non-tech fields, but it has now been exacerbated further, meaning that more and more students are returning home. This is far from ideal as a lot of students intend to cover their initial outlay, in terms of fees amongst other miscellaneous expenses, through the jobs they land there after concluding their studies.

In Australia, stricter scrutiny of applications from Indian students and doubling of fees has contributed to the downward trend. The UK contemplated restricting student entries even further, meaning that students, especially those who intend to pursue a non-tech education, aren’t as keen about these countries as they used to be.

Where One Door Closes, Another Opens

While on one hand the declining numbers across the board make for an interesting study by themselves, what should pique the interest of everyone in the spectrum of foreign education is the increasing interest in pursuing an education in countries such as Ireland, Germany, and Spain, among others. In the past few years, we’ve observed students are beginning to explore options other than the conventional ones, and there’s a growing realization as to the number of amazing, seemingly understated foreign education options, the vast majority of which are in Europe.

In our experience, students are attracted to these countries as they have assumed a more international student-friendly approach; application processes that are easier to navigate, more fluid visa processing, providing students with more flexibility in terms of working whilst studying, not compelling students to take IELTS/TOEFL,  and so on. If we are to gaze at the numbers themselves, “there’s a 100% increase in interest in Irish universities among aspirants in Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka”, according to GyanDhan’s analysis.

The Need for Measured Perspective

Before someone reading this gets carried away, it is imperative on our part as experienced and responsible foreign education consultants to implore prospective students to understand what studying in Europe is all about, understand their own plans, and contemplate accordingly.

To put it in the simplest of terms, one must avoid seeing Europe as “easy migration”. Whenever we provide advice to prospective students, we tell them that Europe isn't akin to Canada - one cannot emigrate simply by enrolling themselves in a random course to facilitate their stay and eventually earn permanent residency whilst working on the side. Europe is very, very open to people studying, working, and even settling down there, but it has to be meaningful - one must choose their course carefully, evaluate how it shall help their career path, and whether the skills they’d earn are in-demand so as to help them navigate the job market. Therefore, if one is seeking easy migration, Europe might not be the right move.

One must also take into consideration that every country in Europe has its own unique language and cultural disposition. It is not just paramount to learn the language, but also to embrace the culture there. Students can get by with English during their study, but could struggle once they step into the job market since a lot of things in Europe are done in the native language of the country. In any case, being multilingual is a major plus on one's CV and adds to their personal growth, so when one picks Europe, it is important to be receptive to learning the language and the way of life there. To sum it up, if one is serious about carving out a meaningful career and is willing to put forth the effort to learn the language and mingle with the local culture, then Europe represents an immense opportunity.

Conclusion

All in all, even if there have been challenges owing to socio-political situations unfolding around the world, there’s cause for optimism. Indian students’ general interest in pursuing a foreign education isn’t going to die down anytime soon as the desire for top-quality education and a higher standard of life is ubiquitous amongst an upwardly-mobile, aspirant middle class. The way we see it - this is more akin to diversification and students spreading their options out amidst growing options, as opposed to a decline.