Key Details
The OECD’s International Student Mobility examines how the combined cost of education, financial support and migration rules determines who can study abroad and whether graduates remain in the destination country.
Indicator | Finding |
|---|---|
Student flows | OECD countries issued more than 2.1 million student permits in 2023, 33% above 2019 |
2024 reversal | International student inflows fell 13%, led by declines of 39% in Canada and 22% in Australia |
Destination concentration | The US, UK, Australia and Canada hosted 49% of international students in OECD countries in 2023 |
Asian students | Asia supplied 58% of international students; China and India together accounted for about one-third of mobile students |
Advanced study | International students represented 19% of master’s and 27% of doctoral enrolments in 2024 |
STEM participation | Around 30% of international students studied STEM subjects, compared with 19% of domestic students |
Financial entry barriers | Annual proof-of-funds requirements range from modest amounts to more than $25,000 |
India and scholarships | India became the largest recipient of scholarship-related development assistance in 2024, receiving $468 million, up from $236 million in 2019 |
International Education Is Becoming More Selective
International student numbers across OECD countries grew by 70% between 2010 and 2020, but that expansion is slowing. Inflows fell 13% in 2024 in major destinations that tightened policy, while other OECD countries recorded 5% growth.
Two models are emerging: some countries, including France, Japan, Korea and Türkiye, still pursue enrolment growth, while Canada, Australia, the UK and the Netherlands are placing greater weight on capacity, quality and selectivity.
The shift is not a retreat from international education, but a move towards tighter choices over programme level, field of study, institution, finances and migration pathways.
Students Evaluate the Full Cost-and-Migration Package
Destination choice depends on more than tuition. Students weigh fees, housing, visa rules, work rights, post-study employment and dependant policies together.
Higher-cost destinations can remain attractive if employment prospects are strong, while lower-fee systems may still be difficult to access because of housing shortages or proof-of-funds requirements.
Scholarships and public loans usually cover only a small share of international students.
Higher Costs Change Who Can Study
Fee increases in Sweden, Finland and Norway led to declines in non-EU enrolment, with larger effects on students from lower-income countries.
In Finland, fee introduction reduced enrolment from countries including India, Viet Nam and Ghana. In Sweden and Norway, falling non-European enrolment also reduced international participation in science and technology programmes.
Fees can therefore change not only student numbers, but also the income profile, nationality mix and fields of studyrepresented within universities.
Work and Migration Rules Strongly Influence Enrolment
Most OECD countries allow students to work during study, but post-study work rights differ widely and strongly influence destination choice. Longer and more flexible pathways are associated with higher enrolment, greater STEM participation and stronger short-term graduate retention.
Students from South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa place particular weight on employment and migration opportunities. The UK’s graduate visa was followed by rapid growth in students from India and Nigeria.
At the same time, several destinations have tightened dependant rules, affecting groups that previously made greater use of family visas.
India Is Highly Exposed to These Policy Changes
Indian and Chinese students together account for about one-third of internationally mobile students in OECD countries, making India particularly sensitive to policy changes in a small number of major destinations.
India also became the largest recipient of official development assistance reported for scholarships and student costs in 2024, rising from $236 million in 2019 to $468 million in 2024.
The figure represents donor-reported spending on students from India, not a transfer to the Indian government.
For Indian students, mobility decisions increasingly depend on the full package of financing, living costs, employment prospects, migration certainty and family rights, not simply the value of the qualification.
Policy Relevance
For India, the findings have two dimensions: supporting a large outbound student population and strengthening India’s own position as an education destination.
Outbound-student information: The Ministry of Education, Indian missions and consulates could organise comparable information on total study costs, work rights, dependant rules and recent policy changes in major destinations. Published tuition alone is an inadequate measure of affordability.
Financial access: The sharp response of lower-middle-income students to fee increases highlights the importance of scholarships, transparent education lending and safeguards against borrowing for programmes with weak completion or employment outcomes.
Exposure monitoring: Because Indian students are concentrated in a few destinations, sudden changes in visa, dependant or post-study rules can affect enrolment and household finances at scale. Destination- and programme-level data would help identify this exposure.
India as a destination: The Study in India programme already integrates institutional applications, student identification and visa processing. The OECD evidence indicates that future competitiveness will also depend on housing, student support, programme quality and credible pathways from study to employment.
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