Research coming from Oxford International has suggested that for many Indian students, an overseas degree is no longer the prime step towards permanent immigration. The institute’s third Student Global Mobility Index (SGMI) found that 81% of surveyed Indian applicants wish to return to India once their studies end.
Further, 15% of surveyed students said applying for a job was their next step, though the survey did not specify whether they would seek work at home or abroad. The findings are based on 17,925 responses to the index’s core questions, plus roughly 2,400 additional responses on course preferences, family backgrounds, information sources and post-graduation plans, as reported.
However, one must note that plans formed before departure may change once students experience overseas study, employment prospects and immigration rules first-hand.
Even so, the results point to a shifting outlook, in which international education is seen as a period of academic and professional exposure rather than the start of a life elsewhere.
The index also shows a marked change in who drives the decision to study abroad. The share of respondents describing themselves as self-motivated rose from 29% in 2023/24 to 34% in 2024/25 and 49% in 2025/26. Over the same period, the proportion naming family as their principal influence fell from 59% to 37%, then to 36%.
This specific pattern varies by region. Self-motivation was strongest among applicants in northern and southern India, while family influence remained more pronounced in the west and centre of the country. Older applicants were also more likely than younger ones to decide independently. Nearly nine in ten respondents (88%) would be the first in their families to study overseas. Demand is therefore increasingly driven by households without prior experience of international education.
Seven in ten respondents were applying for postgraduate programmes. Business and management accounted for 75% of subject interest, well ahead of health and medicine (8%), sciences (2%) and engineering (1%).
Digital platforms play a central role in how applicants research their options. Google helped 39% of respondents discover an institution, narrowly ahead of education agents at 35%. It was also the most trusted information source, chosen by 56%.
University events followed at 20%, then Instagram (9%), artificial intelligence tools (6%) and YouTube (5%). The prominence of search alongside agents suggests applicants are combining independent research with professional guidance.
Over half of respondents (51%) reported no concerns about going overseas. Among the rest, weather was the most common worry at 27%, followed by homesickness (26%) and adapting to another culture (23%).
Accommodation and food were each cited by 20%.
Financial and employment-related concerns ranked low. Only 6% identified fees as a concern, 4% cited finding part-time work, 3% safety and security, and 2% currency conversion. These figures should not be read as a sign that affordability has become complacent. Earlier sector research shows that costs, borrowing and expected employment outcomes remain central to Indian families’ decisions.
Women and younger applicants reported greater apprehension than men and older applicants.
The findings come during a reset in Indian outbound mobility. Ministry of External Affairs data show that 1.254 million Indians were enrolled at overseas tertiary institutions in 2025, a fall of 5.7%, or about 76,000 students, after three consecutive years of growth. Rising tuition and living costs, a weaker domestic currency and tighter immigration policies have made applicants more attentive to employability, post-study work rights and the likelihood of recouping their investment.
Destination preferences have diversified as well. Sector leaders report that the proportion of applicants considering several countries has risen from an estimated 10–15% to 35–40%, with growing interest in Europe, East Asia and Southeast Asia. Among Indian students, interest in studying in India rose by 94%, while searches for the United States and Australia fell by 37% and 42% respectively. Interest in the United Kingdom was comparatively stable, increasing by 2%.
These trends coincide with the growing discussion of “internationalisation at home”. Policymakers and sector leaders see international branch campuses and deeper institutional partnerships as ways to offer global education without requiring students to relocate. More than 15 international universities are expected to be offering degrees in India by the end of 2026. If those plans materialise, they could broaden domestic options for students seeking an international qualification while avoiding some of the costs and immigration uncertainty of overseas study.
Mohit Gambir, managing director of Oxford International India, said the findings show applicants placing greater weight on academic quality and teaching methods, while their worries about adapting to a new environment highlight a need for support beyond admission. In his view, understanding both what students value and what challenges they face will be essential to an experience that is academically rewarding and well supported.
For universities, recruiters and policymakers, the implication is clear. Indian applicants are becoming more independent, more often first-generation and more deliberate about outcomes. They are likely to weigh the long-term return on an overseas degree carefully, including the prospect of a career back in India. Institutions that communicate clear employability outcomes, provide strong pastoral support and engage students through the digital channels they trust are best placed to remain competitive in a more discerning and diversified market.