1999-2000: Number of Indian students in   the United Kingdom 3,962.
2000-2001: Number of Indian students in   the United Kingdom 4,302.
2001-2002: Number of Indian students in   the   United Kingdom 6,016.
1999-2000: Number of Indian students in   the  United States 39,084.
2000-2001: Number of Indian students in   the  United States 47,411.
2001-2002: Number of Indian students in   the  United States 66,836.
2003-2004: The French Embassy issued     1,400 student visas.
2003-2004: Number of Indian students in   Australia- 14,400.
2004-2005: Number of Indian students in   the  US, UK and Australia- 80,466; 80,00      and   21,000 respectively.
2006-2007: 160,000 Indians are studying   abroad. For the sixth year in a row India   sent the most number of students to the   US taking the numbers to 83,833.

 It all began in the late 19th century. Since 1870 there have been Indians going abroad to study, (then to the United Kingdom). Today the entire world is an open ground for Indians wishing to study abroad. Apart from the popular United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, other places like Korea, Singapore, China, Greece, Malaysia, Thailand, Cyprus and many others are also attracting Indian students in a big way. Mostly Indians go abroad to obtain a Masters Degree or a Ph.D., however the number of Indian students going abroad, especially to the US for undergraduate studies has also seen an increase in the recent years, with 2007 recording a 20% of students going to the US for undergraduate studies.
 If earlier it was purely merits and a good education that attracted Indians like Krishna Menon to study abroad, today the reasons may be anything from a good education to status symbol to wanting to settle abroad.

 Foreign universities ensure a good education, which in turn guarantees a good job and a consequent good life whether in India or abroad. Therefore at the onset studies abroad are popular because of the first-class education imparted in foreign universities. India’s education is mainly content-rich and lacks in an equally important activity-based learning. Reports have circulated that only one in four engineering graduates in India are employable in the IT-enabled services industry. An article titled “Skills Gap Hurts Technology Boom in India” in The New York Times on October 19, 2006, said the rest were found to lack required technical skills, English fluency, teamwork skills or oral presentation skills.

 Moreover higher education in India is hampered by five major issues namely access and equity; relevance; quality and excellence; governance and management; and funding. Foreign universities on the other hand have a high standard of quality and provide excellent education programs, are self-reliant and flexible in their programs, are exposed to latest technologies, have excellent infrastructure, multi-cultural ambience, and a better edge on marketability. Good funding backs up research and other facilities in these universities. They furnish many choices of subjects to students.

 They provide opportunities to students to meet and work with the best minds in any given field. While India busies itself with a corrupt and apathetic government which believes in misappropriating education cesses rather than giving and maintaining a good education, or in giving the already limited seats in colleges to students based on their caste rather than merit, underpaid professors and haphazard facilities, foreign universities keep themselves up-to-date, busies itself into ground-breaking research, and teaches one how to think; how to resolve a problem rather than memorize the solution; to think innovatively; and question established beliefs.

 Opportunities offered in foreign countries are more in terms of the number of courses, their variety and areas of specialisation offered. For example, America is the most favoured nation among students because it has over 500 different varieties of subjects available for study among its 3,500 leading universities.

 Also there is a lot of flexibility in the system. A student can change his/her courses as well as area of specialisation with ease without losing time and credits.

 Similar facilities are also being offered by UK, other countries in Europe, Canada and Australia. The curriculum there is designed and implemented to enable students to gain practical experience along with theoretical knowledge. The end result is that students emerge from an international education not only with a thorough understanding of their subject but also with analytical abilities and problem-solving skills that are much prized by employers in later life.

 Foreign universities provide good scholarships and fellowships. For e.g. Yale University in the U.S. gives up to 90% scholarship to the best and brightest of foreign students. Apart from this, students abroad are allowed to work part time that enables them to pay their fees and living expenses.

 Secondly, in India, institutions imparting a good education are few and only 2% of those taking admission tests for these already limited prestigious institutions, such as the Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management, gain admission. Today the Indian student population is growing at a fast pace, and Indian institutions are strapped for funds to create seats to accommodate the demand. Students then have to look at alternative methods to get a good education and foreign universities provide the answer.

 Apart from a quality education and beyond the problem of accessibility, most students prefer studying abroad with a view to settling there after their studies in order to have a good life, though this trend is now slowly reversing in the recent times because of great opportunities available in India.

 The highest attraction of studies abroad however comes from the job opportunities they bring with it. Prior to the recent IT-sector boom in India, job opportunities in India were limited and made students seek foreign universities as it ensured better job opportunities. Even today, a degree from a recognized foreign university means the securing of a high-end job. Most MNCs are more comfortable recruiting employees with an education in foreign universities, as they know the educational standards imparted in these universities. 

 A better standard of living, good infrastructure and good facilities in the foreign countries also attract many Indian students to pursue their studies abroad. Almost as important as the academic advantages of an international education are the chances it offers to experience life abroad. Quite simply, there is no better environment for Indian students to take hold of their future...and be the best they can be.

 Studying abroad presents the student with a wide range of other opportunities as well. It gives the student a chance to be immersed in a different culture, probably learn a new language, understand a new system of education and most of all become a more informed global citizen.

 Many students like to study abroad simply because of the opportunity it affords to study a particular culture. 

 All this is made possible by the easy availability today of student loans. Where earlier it was only the rich who could afford studies abroad or the most brilliant who could study abroad on scholarships, today student-loan schemes made available by banks in India has brought studying abroad to almost anyone desiring a degree from a foreign university.

 Education has become a very important aspect of our life today. The competition among students to acquire better education and intense knowledge in short period of time is the main reason for students studying abroad. Carrier orientation, moneymaking and entrance of politics are its other driving factors. However students should be careful about choosing the universities as well as their field of specialization. Today with India being one of the largest exporters of students wanting to study abroad, many countries are now targeting Indian students. This is so because the fees collected by these universities from foreign students are 3-4 times the fees collected from their local students. For e.g., a foreign student in Britain pays £8,000 a year, which is 60 per cent more than what a local student would cost the British exchequer. It is the same for other countries. Thus it is much more profitable for these institutions to enrol foreign students than local ones. Moreover many universities may be misleading in their promises or may not be recognized in India. A degree in a ‘glamorous’ field would not be of any use if it cannot be pursued back home.