Years ago, I dined in St. Petersburg, Russia, an externally named restaurant, ‘1001 Nights’. There, I met four young students from the southern Indian states, who were all studying therapy. To earn some pocket money, he worked part -time in the restaurant. Curious, I asked if they prefer to stay far away from home, finishing the incompetent winter of Russia. Their reply was straightforward: Medical education in Russia was far more economical, hospital training was solid and most importantly, his degree was recognized back in India. I can’t help, but can admire their determination.
My interpreter on that journey was a natural Russian citizen, originally from Kerala. His father, a staunch leftist, sent him to study in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s – not for academics, but for ideological reasons. “I found a master in Russian literature, I met my wife here and now we have a beautiful daughter.” It is no wonder that he was so fluent in Russian – not to mention his penchant for Vodka and Caviyar.
Subsequently, hundreds of Indian students like him enrolled in Soviet universities, many eventually settled there.
Russia, at the old study destination
Russia has never been an unusual destination for Indian students. Their number has been stable, never heavy. For ‘Big 4’, however, the trend is changing, and the latest figures presented in Parliament recently suggest a separate story: Indian students are rapidly looking beyond the US, Britain, Canada and Australia, once the gold standard for international education.
Canada, once a warm favorite for Indian students, took a massive hit in 2024 – the enrollment from India fell to 41%. Meanwhile, Russia saw 34% of the spikes, which draws in more Indian students than the previous year. Britain also felt that it fell from 136,921 to 36,921 in 2023 to 98,890 in 2024, declining 28% in just one year. The US and Australia could not escape the recession, with a significant decline in Indian students enrollment.
But this is not true for Indian students only. In general, global student mobility is also taking a hit. International education is a $ 200 billion industry, with UK, USA, Canada and Australia its biggest players. But throughout the board, the number is slipping. Canada saw a 27% decline in the total international enrollment, while the UK reported a decline of 18%. The US took a small but remarkable hit with a 6% dip in international student numbers.
There are signs of trouble. Application portal Application of a global university used by more than one lakh students from 150 countries confirmed the trend downward in its latest study. The search interest for Big Four Study Destinations fell 14% in the year ending January 2025, after 22% decline last year.
Last September, the alarm bells were ringing in the Big Four Study destinations. Worried teachers and university leaders gathered in London for a crisis summit, battling with a number of freefalls in international students. NAFSA: CEO of Association of International Educators Dr. Fanta Ed said, “The idea that the US and the foreign market may dominate, this is a very old structure.” The overriding spirit was that the landscape was shifting and the students were watching elsewhere.
If Big Four was once an infallible education powerhouse, he was also outbound students from China, India and South Korea, fueling about two million out of them. But as these students detect alternative destinations, the higher education sector of the West faces a painful problem. Less students mean tight budget, struggling universities and an extinct global dominance.
There are many factors including self-sufficiency, which contribute to the declining number of foreign students in Big Four countries.
Hostility
Beyond the length of the student visa, governments in these countries are making it difficult for graduates to live and work. The rift of the UK on dependent visa, the canada cap on the study permit, and the hard rules of Australia on post-study work have made it difficult for students to justify investment. Universities say that government action is reverse, but their protests are disregarded. By 12 March, President Trump had signed 128 executive orders, including 10 targeted immigration – one of which asked for extensive review of all visa programs, including for international students. A survey found that any American travel restriction on students or visitors can give a serious blow to the country’s reputation as a study destination. About two-thirds of the respondents said that such a step would shatter America’s perception as a welcome place for international students-no longer consider studying there.
Rising costs
Studies in these countries have become increasingly expensive, especially with fare, food and daily expenses with inflation. Many students are looking at high quality options so far such as Russia, Central Asian countries and Germany.
Geophysical stress and emergence of non-western hub
Rising zenophobia, racial attacks and political uncertainties are rethinking their choice of students. Countries seen as more reception and politically stable are receiving tractions
Quality emergence non-western education hub: Countries such as China, UAE, Singapore and Japan are aggressively expanding their universities, offering scholarships and partnered with global institutions to attract international talent.
UK crisis
Here in the UK, I am reading the report for the previous year that “British University is in freefall”. The crisis is real – lowering jobs by hundreds of people. In January, Bornemouth University announced 400 job cuts – indicating how deep the problem is. Higher education in the UK is by all accounts, a sinking ship. The number of international students is falling, and the universities are staring at a serious money crisis. According to British media, about 80% of institutions may soon run losses and many are already in survival mode – closure of jobs, closing courses, cutting back on catering, merging institutions and acting outsourcing services only to serve services.
Warning signs have been shining for years, but things are ready to deteriorate. Future Indian and Chinese students know about problems, and they are doing the right thing by looking at other destinations.
Crisis in Atlantic
The Trump administration recently gave a $ 400 million punch at Columbia University, allegedly drawing federal grants to fail to control anti-Jewish and “illegal opposition”. It is ironic that this is the same Colombia, who was called to tell about a Palestine student in April 2024, from which more than 100 students were arrested, some were beaten and a full -scale police raided on the campus. The then President of Columbia, Minuche Shafik, had already promised a Congress committee that he would make a hard rift on student activism-but finally, his loyalty was not enough to save the university from Trump’s anger. Ethics of the story: Bending backwards for political approval does not always pay.
In the same breath, the education of Trump administration is accelerating. About 1,300 employees in the Education Department were recently fired, killing their workforce for only more than 2,100 people – Skylet Staff for a federal agency overseeing nationwide education.
Do not make any mistake, America remains a dream destination for many people, but foreign students – including people of India – are getting away from the larger four as political enmity, visa ban and funding deduction, it clarify that they are no longer welcome. Universities, long -dependent on international tuition fees, now face financial uncertainty, while students reconsider their options.
(Syed Zubair Ahmed is a London -based senior Indian journalist who has three decades experience with Western media)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
