Sat, May 10, 2025 | Updated 3:17AM IST

Best Countries for Indian students to study abroad

Times of Bennett | Updated: Mar 28, 2023 21:11
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By Shreya Sharma


Every year, there is a rise in Indian students moving abroad to pursue higher education. There are a number of reasons as to why Indian students prefer abroad for their higher education, world class and better education is the one most basic reason, apart from that they look for widening of job opportunities across different sectors and new prospects, personality development, global outlook towards things and the exposure to an all – over different culture.

It is also been observed by many students that studying abroad increases their chance of better employability in good companies, job opportunities both in foreign and in India, with better pay grade that an Indian university would have offered.

For most students, studying is also a way of immigration to foreign countries, those wanting to have a job and lead life in foreign country, find a way of immigration and settling down after completion of their higher education.

However, it is very challenging for students to look for the right country when they are applying to a foreign university, they have to think about the right course, scholarship and fee structure, food, language, mannerisms and culture, and lifestyle of people residing there.

Here we have a list of top 6 countries that are always in the list of students looking for abroad education –

1.UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA)



The USA tops the list of pioneering global universities and leads the list of preference countries for Indian students looking for higher education. The US universities are always considered as the best option as they offer a mix of academics, research and extra curriculars. Students completing their education from US universities come out as highly skilled and confident individuals with scope of working in the best companies.

Being a hegemon with high satisfaction rate of students studying there, the education in US is highly expensive; although meritorious and skilled students always have the option of applying for a merit or need – based scholarship.

Some of the top ranked US universities are Stanford university, Harvard University, Columbia university, Yale University, University of Chicago, New York university, Princeton and Cornell university.



2.UNITED KINGDOM (UK)



The second best country for Indian students when looking for foreign universities is United Kingdom (UK). UK is also home to several old reputable universities which makes it more special. Every year, Indian students form the second highest student population in the country.
UK universities have state of the art infrastructure, excellent student support and living standard. The UK is home to innumerable excellent universities with flexible English requirement options. Universities in some region accept the 12th standard English percentile for English requirement while some accept students on the basis of IELTS score along with Statement of Purpose (SOP) and Letter of Recommendation (LOR).
Some of the top ranked UK universities are London School of Economics and Political Science, King’s college London, University college London,University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, University of Edinburgh and University of Manchester.



3.CANADA



Canada is slowly acquiring the spot of international university’s student dream place owing to its work and student culture, great environment, friendly immigration policies and scenic beauty.
Canada is the extremely suited option for students looking for studying and then settling abroad. Various students move to globally ranked Canadian universities and then settle there after receiving great job offers post completion of their studies.
Some of the top ranked universities in Canada are University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Toronto, University of Montreal, McGill University, University of Waterloo, University of Ottawa and University of Alberta.



4.AUSTRALIA

Australian universities have always ranked top in the QS World rankings making it one of the best countries for Indian students to make their study abroad destination. What makes Australia a preferred choice of study abroad country is 20,000 courses to choose from.
It is also preferred by a good number of students because of the availability of long post study work visas available along with a great lifestyle and welcoming environment and tropical landscape.
Australian universities also offer several scholarships to meritorious and need based students. The Australian government scholarships include Australian Awards Scholarship and International Post Graduate Research Scholarships.
The top ranked Australian universities are Australian National University (ANS), University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of Queensland, Monash University and University ofNew South Wales (UNSW).



  • 5.NEW ZEALAND


  • The universities in New Zealand offer excellent education, internationally accredited qualifications and excellent student support. New Zealand is also known for its warm and welcoming people culture, high safety index, health benefits, and overall excellent standard of living.
    It is a great choice for students looking for settling in after pursuing their higher education in a foreign country. The top ranked universities in New Zealand are University of Auckland, University of Canterbury, Victoria university of Wellington, Lincoln University and Massey University.



  • 6.GERMANY


  • In recent years, Germany has achieved the position of preferred choice of European country for Indian students while looking for foreign education. Germany offers quality education that is affordable, career scope and exposure to a great culture.
    The public universities do not ask for any tuition fees even from international students, the fees of private universities also is quire affordable along with research and practical based learning.
    The top ranked German universities are University of Munich, Ruprecht karls university Heidelberg, University of Bonn, University of Hamburg.