The rise of India, Nigeria, and the Philippines as major sources of students has defined the post-pandemic era of international education. And while recent policy shifts have suppressed inflows for many of the “big four” destination countries, student mobility generally remains strong and booming student populations from emerging markets are set to alter the international landscape. The coming decade will likely be defined by Nepal and Ghana joining their ranks.
With that in mind, we’re diving into the emerging trends of Nepalese students across Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia. How many Nepalese students are studying abroad? Where and what do they study? And how can institutions best support and attract Nepalese students? Read on to learn more about how this student population will help shape destination markets in the coming years.
Key Insights at a Glance
- In 2021, Nepal’s outbound mobility ratio—meaning the percentage of tertiary-level students studying abroad—was 19%.1
- Nepalese students accounted for over 3% of Canadian study permits issued to post-secondary students in 2023, up from 0.2% in 2018.2
- In just the first nine months of fiscal year 2024, the number of US F-1 visas issued to Nepalese students surpassed full-fiscal year 2023 figures by 61%.3
- The UK government issued 22% fewer student visas in Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023. But over the same period, visas issued to Nepalese students grew by 27%.4
Factors Driving Nepal’s Growth as a Major Student Population
Nepalese students are highly motivated to study abroad. Nepal’s outbound mobility ratio—meaning the percentage of tertiary-level students studying abroad—has remained high over the past five years, sitting at 19% in 2021 (the latest available year). For comparison, India and China had outbound mobility ratios of 1.3% and 1.9%, respectively. In fact, Nepal had one of the highest outbound mobility ratios across the globe over the past five years, and a large proportion of its population falls in the 18 to 25 demographic.
Limited post-secondary domestic opportunities are driving Nepal’s high outbound mobility ratio. As recently as 2006, Nepal had just six accredited universities, and while this number has since doubled, they’ve struggled with quality and infrastructure. As a result, many Nepalese students still believe that international universities will better prepare them for the workforce than their local institutions. This has made studying abroad a popular trend among young Nepalese students, who are motivated to study internationally based on the experiences of their friends and family.
Nepal is also forecasted to see accelerated economic growth over the next couple of years, with an average growth rate of 5% for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. While the country’s economic growth is vulnerable to external shocks, achieving the projected economic gains could further increase the mobility of prospective students.5
All outbound Nepalese students must apply to Nepal’s Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology for a No Objection Certificate (NOC). Students who cannot secure an NOC are not permitted to study abroad or send funds abroad.
Nepalese Students Account for Larger Proportion of the International Student Body in Canada
Since the pandemic, Nepal has been a driving source of diversity for Canadian institutions:
Nearly 16,000 Nepalese students were issued a Canadian student visa for post-secondary studies in 2023.6 This accounted for over 3% of all new international post-secondary students that year. For comparison, Nepalese students accounted for just 0.2% of Canadian study permits issued for post-secondary studies in 2018.
Both universities and colleges in Canada have benefited from Nepal’s emergence as a major source for growing student populations. The number of study permits issued to Nepalese students for college programs tripled from 2022 to 2023, and it doubled for both the undergraduate and postgraduate level at universities over the same period.
For study levels not exempt from the new study permit cap, Nepalese applicants who used ApplyBoard to apply for a Canadian student visa had a 75% approval rate for Winter term 2024.7 For comparison, IRCC approved 62% of Nepalese post-secondary applications to these non-exempt study levels for full-year 2023—and that rate is down to 31% in the first five months of 2024 with application volumes on track to outpace 2022 levels.
Nepalese Students Already Reach Record Highs in the US in 2024
In just the first nine months of fiscal year 2024, the US already issued a record-high number of F-1 student visas to Nepalese students:8
9,200 Nepalese students were issued a student visa from October through June 2024.9 This is an increase of 61% over full-year 2023, and 49% more than full-year 2022—the previous full-year high.
Our internal ApplyBoard data also reflects that Nepalese interest in the US is on the rise. The number of Nepalese students using ApplyBoard who were approved for a student visa tripled for the 2024 calendar year compared to 2023, with approval rates increasing by nearly 20 percentage points.
Nepalese students are a tremendous boon to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields in the US. Institute of International Education (IIE) Open Doors data shows that 70% of all Nepalese students in the US in 2022/23 pursued programs in STEM fields.10
Nepalese Students a Key Demographic for the UK’s International Education Sector
International student interest in the UK dropped following significant policy changes in 2023. But as the new Labour government begins to establish their views on international education, Nepal may prove to be a critical source of students to buoy the UK’s international education sector moving forward:
More than 8,500 Nepalese students were issued a main applicant student visa to the UK in 2023, an increase of 83% over the previous year. Critically, the 2,200 Nepalese students issued a student visa in Q1 2024 represent growth of 27% over Q1 2023. Over this same time frame, the number of student visas issued to all international students to the UK dropped by 22%. In short, Nepalese students remain highly interested in an education in the UK post-policy changes.
Nepal has historically had a low ratio of dependants to main applicants for student visas, especially in comparison to other major student populations like India and Nigeria. This lower ratio likely helped insulate Nepalese student mobility to the UK following the new limitations placed on dependants, whereas both Indian and Nigerian interest dropped significantly.
Nepalese students who were approved for a student visa for the 2024 academic year using ApplyBoard had a median age of 21. Generally, younger student populations will be less affected by the UK’s dependancy changes.
Nepalese Student Volumes in Australia Dropping due to VET
Australia was once the top destination for Nepalese students looking to study abroad. However, of the “big four” English destination markets, Australia was the only one to see a Nepalese student population decline over the past year:
The Australian border remained closed to students for two years during the pandemic, creating significant demand pressure once borders reopened in early 2022. As a result, Australia granted a record high number of visas to Nepalese students in 2022.11 While a drop in 2023 was to be expected as 2022 saw essentially three years worth of demand spill into one, the 33% decline of student visas granted to Nepalese students was quite stark.
The largest contributor to this drop was vocational education and training (VET) studies. In April 2023, the Nepalese government moved to curb outbound mobility for non-degree study options, with a new ministry list of approved non-degree institutions implemented the following month. Alongside Australia implementing its own policy changes to account for increased demand, the results led to Nepalese student visas granted for VET dropping by 96% in 2023 compared to 2022.
Nepalese students prefer to study in New South Wales in Australia. This state accounted for 55% of student visas granted to Nepalese students in 2024 (Jan to Jun), compared to just 34% for Australia’s entire international student population.
Looking Forward
All told, nearly 45,000 Nepalese students were issued a post-secondary student visa to a “big four” English destination in 2023. This represented growth of 15% over the previous year, and an increase of 121% from 2018. And these are not the only countries attracting Nepalse students. In fact, Japan and India are two of the largest markets for Nepalese students, with Cyprus, South Korea, and Germany emerging as popular destinations as well.
Institutions and destinations that invest in Nepal will likely see dividends for decades to come. The Nepalese population is projected to reach 38.6 million by 2064—growth of 24% compared to today—meaning a strong, consistent number of Nepalese citizens reaching post-secondary student age (generally considered to be 18 to 25).12 And with the factors driving Nepal’s high outbound mobility ratio showing no signs of slowing, we fully expect Nepal to join the ranks of India, Nigeria, and the Philippines as major contributors to international education across the world.
So what can institutions do now to attract more Nepalese student interest? First and foremost, because studying abroad is becoming a popular trend among Nepal’s youth, we recommend using strategies that tap into word-of-mouth excitement. For example, facilitating connections with local Nepalese communities—such as hosting cultural events that celebrate Nepalese festivals like Dashain and Tihar—could create significant engagement on social media among prospective students. As would tailored pre-departure and on-campus orientation programs that address specific concerns of Nepalese students, simplify the admissions process, and highlight available support resources.
We also recommend institutions forefront how they can help Nepalese students grow their employable skills. Career development and opportunities are a primary factor driving Nepal’s high outbound mobility ratio. As such, institutions will want to ensure they’re showcasing their programs in high-demand fields—such as in health care and STEM—as well as any degree-to-career pathways they’ve established with local businesses.
Stay tuned to ApplyInsights, as next week we cover why Ghana will join Nepal as a defining source of growing student populations over the coming decade.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. Data courtesy of UNESCO. 2021 estimate the latest available data.
2. Data courtesy of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
3. US student visa data courtesy of the U.S. Department of State. US government fiscal years run from October of the previous year to September of the given year. Throughout this article, all given years refer to this fiscal period rather than a calendar year.
4. Data courtesy of the UK Home Office.
5. World Bank, The World Bank in Nepal.
6. The terms student visa and study permit are generally used interchangeably for Canadian international students. Rather than student visas, Canada provides accepted international students with study permits, which allow those students to enrol in classes at Canadian institutions. When a student is accepted for a study permit, they are also usually provided with a visitor visa, which allows that student to enter Canada for their studies.
7. ApplyBoard’s study permit approval rates are estimates calculated by the ApplyBoard Data Science team. The calculation is as follows:
Study Permit Approval Rate = Confirmed Study Permit Approvals ÷ (Confirmed Study Permit Approvals + Reported Study Permit Rejections).
Confirmed Study Permit Approval: Applicant has submitted documentary evidence of study permit approval to ApplyBoard and/or has had their enrolment confirmed by the destination institution.
Reported Study Permit Rejection: (a) Applicant has indicated to ApplyBoard that they have been refused a study permit and/or has requested a refund for their tuition deposit due to study permit refusal, and (b) applicant’s enrolment has not been confirmed by the destination institution.
Note: ApplyBoard applicants do not receive any special treatment from IRCC.
8. As F-1 student visas are the most common visa status used by international students in the US, we’re confining our analysis to that specific visa type. For reference, the US government has three student visas: F Student visas are academic (for study at an accredited K-12 school, college, or university, or studying English at an English language institute; the study must lead to a degree, diploma, or certificate); J Exchange visas are for participants in an exchange program either at the secondary school or university level; and M Student visas are for non-academic study (not including language programs), or vocational study or training.
9. Note that the monthly nonimmigrant visa issuance statistics cited in this article contain preliminary data which are subject to change.
10. Data courtesy of IIE Open Doors Report.
11. Data courtesy of the Australian Department of Home Affairs (ADHA). The data used for this article includes subclass 500 and subclass 570 to 576 visas granted to primary applicants outside of Australia only.
12. World Population Review, Nepal Population 2024 (Live).
