Indian students are no longer rushing abroad after Class 12. Here’s what’s changing.
Indian colleges and universities are no longer seen only as a backup for students who cannot afford or get admission to universities abroad.
- Sep 2, 2026,
- Updated Sep 2, 2026 7:00 AM IST
Indian students are increasingly choosing to complete their undergraduate studies in India before going abroad for higher education, according to a new Cambridge survey.
In 2025, half of Cambridge learners in India who were headed to university chose to stay in the country for their undergraduate degree. This was up from 47% a year earlier. At the same time, the share of students going overseas for undergraduate studies fell from 42% to 40%, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The change may look small, but Cambridge says it points to a bigger shift in how Indian students and families are looking at education abroad.
More students are staying back for college
As per the report, these findings are part of the Cambridge Destination Survey 2025-26, which covered 404 schools across 49 countries and reached an estimated 24,637 learners. In India, 112 schools responded to the survey.
The report calls the change in India a “structural shift”. This suggests that the trend is not simply because of temporary issues such as higher costs, visa restrictions, geopolitical tensions or a weak rupee.
Rod Smith, Group Managing Director of Cambridge International Education, the international qualifications arm of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, said the idea of value in education is also changing.
“The definition of value in education is changing,” Smith told The Indian Express.
“Learners are moving from evaluating the value of a degree to evaluating the value of the entire pathway — from education, to employment, to long-term opportunity," he noted.
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Students may go abroad later
The shift does not mean Indian students have given up on studying abroad. Instead, many are changing when they go overseas.
The report says more students are now considering an Indian undergraduate degree followed by a Master's degree abroad. The return on this investment is often seen as stronger and easier to understand at the postgraduate stage.
The usual path of school, an overseas Bachelor's degree and then a global career is increasingly changing to school, an Indian university, an overseas Master's degree and then a global career.
Indian universities are becoming more attractive
Cambridge says India is “becoming its own biggest competitor” as domestic universities become more attractive to students.
Indian colleges and universities are no longer seen only as a backup for students who cannot afford or get admission to universities abroad. They are increasingly becoming the first choice for undergraduate studies.
The survey points to several reasons. These include better private and interdisciplinary institutions, more foreign universities opening branch campuses in India and greater recognition of international qualifications such as Cambridge's curriculum by Indian universities.
Smith said Cambridge students can combine subjects across disciplines, such as mathematics with economics or computer science with physics.
Indian universities are also offering more flexible courses in areas such as data science, business analytics and artificial intelligence.
Sri Lanka shows a different trend
The shift is not the same across South Asia.
Sri Lanka continues to see strong demand for overseas education despite concerns around costs and visas. One school counsellor quoted in the report said most Sri Lankan students would still prefer to study abroad, but they may not have that option if the cost is too high.
This is different from India, where the survey suggests that the preference itself is changing. More students are now comfortable completing their undergraduate education in India before moving abroad.
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Global ambitions remain strong
Indian students have not given up on their plans to study or work internationally.
Smith said Indian students “haven’t lost their global ambitions.” Counsellors in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh also reported that students increasingly see an Indian undergraduate degree as a stepping stone to a postgraduate degree abroad.
The choice of overseas destinations is changing too. The traditional “Big Four” destinations, the US, UK, Canada and Australia, are losing some of their appeal, while countries such as Singapore, the UAE, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Ireland and the Netherlands are attracting interest.
The trend, therefore, is not simply about Indian students choosing India instead of studying abroad. It is about choosing India first and going overseas later, with students and families thinking more carefully about when the international degree offers the best value
Indian students are increasingly choosing to complete their undergraduate studies in India before going abroad for higher education, according to a new Cambridge survey.
In 2025, half of Cambridge learners in India who were headed to university chose to stay in the country for their undergraduate degree. This was up from 47% a year earlier. At the same time, the share of students going overseas for undergraduate studies fell from 42% to 40%, according to a report by The Indian Express.
The change may look small, but Cambridge says it points to a bigger shift in how Indian students and families are looking at education abroad.
More students are staying back for college
As per the report, these findings are part of the Cambridge Destination Survey 2025-26, which covered 404 schools across 49 countries and reached an estimated 24,637 learners. In India, 112 schools responded to the survey.
The report calls the change in India a “structural shift”. This suggests that the trend is not simply because of temporary issues such as higher costs, visa restrictions, geopolitical tensions or a weak rupee.
Rod Smith, Group Managing Director of Cambridge International Education, the international qualifications arm of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, said the idea of value in education is also changing.
“The definition of value in education is changing,” Smith told The Indian Express.
“Learners are moving from evaluating the value of a degree to evaluating the value of the entire pathway — from education, to employment, to long-term opportunity," he noted.
Don't Miss: A family needed a home. Alabama students had 72,000 discarded carpet tiles and a very different idea
Students may go abroad later
The shift does not mean Indian students have given up on studying abroad. Instead, many are changing when they go overseas.
The report says more students are now considering an Indian undergraduate degree followed by a Master's degree abroad. The return on this investment is often seen as stronger and easier to understand at the postgraduate stage.
The usual path of school, an overseas Bachelor's degree and then a global career is increasingly changing to school, an Indian university, an overseas Master's degree and then a global career.
Indian universities are becoming more attractive
Cambridge says India is “becoming its own biggest competitor” as domestic universities become more attractive to students.
Indian colleges and universities are no longer seen only as a backup for students who cannot afford or get admission to universities abroad. They are increasingly becoming the first choice for undergraduate studies.
The survey points to several reasons. These include better private and interdisciplinary institutions, more foreign universities opening branch campuses in India and greater recognition of international qualifications such as Cambridge's curriculum by Indian universities.
Smith said Cambridge students can combine subjects across disciplines, such as mathematics with economics or computer science with physics.
Indian universities are also offering more flexible courses in areas such as data science, business analytics and artificial intelligence.
Sri Lanka shows a different trend
The shift is not the same across South Asia.
Sri Lanka continues to see strong demand for overseas education despite concerns around costs and visas. One school counsellor quoted in the report said most Sri Lankan students would still prefer to study abroad, but they may not have that option if the cost is too high.
This is different from India, where the survey suggests that the preference itself is changing. More students are now comfortable completing their undergraduate education in India before moving abroad.
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Global ambitions remain strong
Indian students have not given up on their plans to study or work internationally.
Smith said Indian students “haven’t lost their global ambitions.” Counsellors in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh also reported that students increasingly see an Indian undergraduate degree as a stepping stone to a postgraduate degree abroad.
The choice of overseas destinations is changing too. The traditional “Big Four” destinations, the US, UK, Canada and Australia, are losing some of their appeal, while countries such as Singapore, the UAE, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Ireland and the Netherlands are attracting interest.
The trend, therefore, is not simply about Indian students choosing India instead of studying abroad. It is about choosing India first and going overseas later, with students and families thinking more carefully about when the international degree offers the best value