The UK has been attracting more Indian students than ever before. As a top market for destination countries, the trend-setting power of Indian students continues to shape education trends across the globe.
What does the increased interest of Indian students in the UK mean for the US and Canada? How will the trend-setting power of Indian students impact enrollment for other destination markets and the international education sector? In today’s ApplyInsights, we’ll be highlighting the spike in Indian students to the UK in 2022, and how this compares to the US and Canada.1
Key Insights at a Glance
- Indian students in the UK had the largest number of sponsored study visa grants of any nationality, with a total of 117,965 grants from July 2021 through June 2022.
- In FY2021, Indian students in the US were issued a total of 80,451 F-1 student visas, representing an increase of 84% from 2019.
- Canada saw an increase of 29% from 2019, with an increase of 27,878 study permits approved for Indian students in 2021.
Surge in Indian Students to the UK
Last year, we predicted that the pent-up demand from international students would drive a boom in enrollment in 2022. The global increase in student visa applications in 2021 had three different causes: students who deferred their acceptance during the pandemic, first-time applicants, and applicants looking to relocate to a country with a stronger economy.2 This trend impacted student visa applications in 2021 and has continued well into 2022.
Let’s take a look at how student visas trended in the UK in 2022 compared to 2019:
From July 2021 to June 2022, Indian students were granted the largest number of sponsored study visas of any nationality, surpassing China, with nearly 118,000 grants. Overall, Indian students accounted for almost 40% of the growth in the UK’s international student inflows from 2019.
The introduction of the Graduate Route (GR) has played a key role in attracting more international students to study in the UK. According to students surveyed by the UK Government, the most influential feature of the Graduate Route, when deciding whether to stay in the UK, is the flexibility it affords holders.3 The GR helped propel the UK to 8% growth in total international enrollment during the 2020/21 academic year. In comparison, Canada and the US each fell by 17%.
More institutions in the UK are GR-eligible than Canadian institutions are eligible for Canada’s Post Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP).4 This factor, combined with the appeal of shorter program times, allows GR participants to spend more time in the UK. This offers the UK a competitive advantage over the PGWP, encouraging more students to consider pursuing a UK-based education as opposed to heading to Canada.
Indian Students in the US
Despite a 2% drop in international student enrollment from 2019 to 2021 across all countries, Indian students were issued a total of 80,451 F-1 student visas. This was an increase of 84% from 2019 to 2021. In comparison, China, South Korea, and Brazil saw a drop in F-1 student visas issued from 2019 to 2021.
In January 2022, the Biden Administration announced policy changes that would increase post-graduation work opportunities for international students looking to pursue a career in STEM.5 As one of the most popular fields of study among international students, STEM plays a key role in attracting Indian students to study in the US. These policy changes expanded the definition of STEM, with 22 additional “new multidisciplinary or emerging fields” eligible for the Optional Practical Training (OPT) STEM Extension. F-1 students who receive STEM degrees may be eligible for a 24-month extension of their post-completion OPT.
Among the 22 new fields are financial analytics and data science, two increasingly popular fields among international students. STEM programs are an increasingly popular field of study for Indian students in the US. In 2021, 77.5% of Indian students in the US were enrolled or working in STEM, representing the third-highest percentage among top 25 source countries.
Indian Students in Canada
Let’s take a look at Canada. Recently released data through June 2022 shows study permits trending upward in Canada, with a total of nearly 168,000 Canadian student visa approvals.6 The total approved study permits for this year is already slightly ahead of 2021’s six-month total of 162,000, with Indian students making up a large percentage of that growth:
Following the decline in study permits issued during the pandemic, we are excited to see that the number of approved study permits for Indian students has been increasing steadily. In 2021, more than 138,000 study permits were approved for Indian students coming to Canada.
From 2019 to 2021, Canada saw an increase of over 27,000 study permits approved for Indian students. This represented an increase of 25% from 2019, which was just below the average increase of 29% for approved study permits across Canada.
Canada has set the stage for other destination countries, with one of the most generous post-graduate work opportunities and immigration pathways for international students. More than 133,000 international students were approved for the PGWP in 2021, with nearly 80,000 of these permits granted to Indian students. 97.5% of international graduates who applied for permanent residency in Canada were successful in 2021.
Looking Forward
More Indian students are choosing to study abroad than ever before. The UK, the US, and Canada each experienced an increase in Indian students, with this trend continuing into the end of the year. Each destination market offers international students different opportunities and challenges. This means that competition is strong for destination countries to attract more international students from India.
The Canadian PGWP and the American OPT programs have been attracting international students to Canada and the US from all across the world. Canada’s PGWPP is much less restrictive than OPT, offering international graduates the opportunity to live and work in Canada without the restriction of being tied to employment. In comparison, the UK’s new Graduate Route has been attracting more students from India by providing students with the opportunity to stay in the UK without being sponsored by a company.
We’re seeing an increase in the number of international students from India choosing to study in the UK compared to the US. Due to the rise of inflation rates across the globe, affordability is a major concern for international students looking to begin their study abroad journey. The shift in popularity amongst destination countries is influenced by numerous factors, including the shift in the value of the American dollar, posing a challenge for students looking to begin their study abroad journey in the US.
With 2022 closing into the rearview mirror and 2023 rapidly approaching, we are excited about the growth we have seen this past year, and can’t wait to see what’s in store for Indian international students next year.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. All Canadian data sourced from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), all UK data sourced from GOV.UK, and all US data sourced from IIE/Open Doors, unless otherwise stated.
2. National Statistics, “Why do people come to the UK? To study.” November 25, 2021.
3. UK Research and Analysis, Graduate route: Early Insights Evaluation. July 15, 2022.
4. UK Visas and Immigration, Register of Student Sponsors, February 3, 2022.
5. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
6. The terms student visa and study permit are generally used interchangeably for Canadian international students. Rather than a student visa, Canada provides an approved international student with a study permit, which allows that student to enroll in classes at Canadian institutions. When a student is accepted for a study permit, they are usually also provided with a visitor visa, which allows that student to enter Canada for their studies.
