New survey says US “preferred” choice for Indian students

Some 69% of Indian students who responded to the survey said the US was a preferred destination, with 54% saying the UK and 43% Canada.

Some 405 prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students from India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Vietnam were surveyed for the report, as well as 97 current OIEG pathway program students.

Australia was the least popular of the big four destinations, with just 27% of the Indian students surveyed saying they would consider the destination – despite the fact the students were surveyed in 2023, before Australia’s move to change migration rules at the end of the year.

The managing director of Oxford International Education Services, which ran the survey, said it was “interesting to note” that the US was so popular in current circumstances.

“Despite apprehensions surrounding affordability and safety, the allure of quality education and esteemed universities persists as primary drivers,” Mohit Gambir posited.

Recently, Indian students currently studying in the US said they were concerned about safety after three students were killed in the country on three different occasions in the past year.

Nigerian students preferred Canada, with 69% saying it was a preferred destination, closely followed by the UK (68%), the US (53%) and Australia, again at the bottom of the pile with just 14%.

Pakistani and Vietnamese students involved in the survey also both mostly preferred the US as a destination, with 63% and 64% considering it respectively.

While Vietnam helped Australia gain ground, with 43% considering it, only 38% of Vietnamese students said they would consider Australia.

For all four source countries, it was clear that parent opinions mattered to the students – they “help shape students’ views of the world”, the survey said.

Some 71% from both India and Pakistan said parents had the strongest influence on their world outlook – 72% in Nigeria said the same, while 62% from Vietnam also said they were the strongest influence.

“The pivotal role of parental influence shaping the decisions of Indian students underscores the profound familial impact on educational pursuits,” noted Gambir.

Indian and Nigerian students indicated they would be more likely to talk to an education agent to help with choosing their study destination and institution, with 35% of each cohort saying they would talk to consultants.

Only 23% of the Pakistani students and 22% of the Vietnamese students indicated they would liaise with agents. Instead, Vietnamese students would be more likely to look at social media sites (62% indicated this), and just under half of students from Pakistan would instead check university webpages.

Indian students also confirmed that university reputation and quality of education were integral to their study choice, citing reputation as the top reason for interest in the UK, Canada and Australia – while quality of education was the biggest reason for those looking at the US.

The survey said more of those interested in Canada cared about the fact that they would have the opportunity to work while studying than the quality of education, confirming the importance of work rights in the Canadian study experience.

Just under half who were looking at Australia said they had “always been interested” in the country, and 46% also said it was a “welcoming and friendly” destination.

The same amount also said they had always been interested in the UK.

Despite the US’s general popularity among Indian students, the UK won out among all the Indian survey respondents for affordability, but the statistics were still not encouraging.

Just 28% said the course fees were affordable in the UK, 21% said Canada was affordable, 20% said Australia was and just 9% said they thought US fees were within reach.

However, Australia was the most popular for scholarship application, with 34% saying they would be able to apply for them in the country. Some 32% said the same about Canada, the US 20% and UK just 11%.