UK most popular destination for Indians to study abroad: Leap Scholar

The UK is the most popular study abroad destination for Indians followed by Canada and the USA, according to data of over 75,000 applications processed by Leap Scholar, an overseas study abroad platform.

Based on the applications for the year, the most popular country is the UK at 49%, followed by Canada at 36%, and the USA at 18%.

The most popular courses for study abroad in 2021 include MBA, MSc Data Science, and Computer Science, while MSc Management, Business Analytics, and Project Management saw an increase in popularity.

The year witnessed an increasing trend of students preferring specialised courses.

“2021 has seen a pent-up demand in the study abroad space and the aspiration to go overseas for education is higher than ever among students. They are exploring new and diverse ambitions, and we are excited to support them in this journey. We remain committed in our vision to make global education accessible for Indian students across the spectrum," said Vaibhav Singh, co-Founder, Leap Scholar.

The study abroad segment bounced back strongly in 2021 after a multi-decade Covid-induced low in 2020, the company found.

 With the introduction of the Graduation Immigration Route, interest in the UK as a study abroad destination zoomed.
 
 The new policy allows students graduating from UK universities to work in the UK for up to 2 years. This trend is expected to continue in 2022 as well.
 
In addition, Canada continued to be a favored destination among students supported by diverse educational opportunities and a student-friendly policy stance.

The US had a particularly strong rebound with the new political administration taking a welcoming stand towards international students.