More Indian students are opting for Business and Commerce as their first choice for undergraduate studies abroad. Yes, this preference seems to be higher than Engineering courses also.

This is one of the most surprising finds of the latest MM Advisory survey of top schools in India. Every year, MMA conducts a comprehensive, one-of-its kind survey among school counselors across the Top 100 schools in India. We will be releasing the full report in a few weeks.

Business as new favorite

40% of the survey respondents indicated Business and Commerce related programs are the top choices for students now for undergraduate studies. While MBA has always been one of the top choices for post-graduate studies, but this is a new trend at the undergraduate level.

There could be several factors at play here, including macro trends such as the growing Indian economy with fast-growing, new business opportunities. That’s probably naturally feeding into the aspirations of students, seeking the most promising options for their future.

To be sure, Engineering was still the top choice for 28% of the respondents, with Computer Science and IT being opted by 16% of students as their first choice.

Our analysis of responses shows that while top preference might be seeing this shift to Business, but Engineering still holds the top position as the second-best choice for students.

These are both healthy trends. Students are now exploring a wider range of choices in courses just as they are widening their choice of countries beyond the US. In recent years, especially last year, Canada has emerged as a hot, new destination for students in India.

Read here why Canada is among the top-choices for students in India.

Hot, new course options

1 in 12 respondents in the survey said Biology, Biotech and Life Sciences as their first option. That’s an encouraging trend, especially since there are a lot of top-quality universities beyond the US to choose from. In Canada, for instance, University of Toronto, McGill University, University of Alberta and University of British Columbia are top-ranked universities which offer strong choices in these courses.

Hospitality and tourism, and animation & graphics design are other hot emerging preferences for undergraduate studies abroad. With the rise of entertainment economy and rapid growth of digital media, students see these courses as great options for attractive

career growth now. Again, in animation, Canada is considered as the #1 destination country in the world, with Sheridan College and Vancouver Film School being the most sought-after programs in animation and graphics design by students from all over the world.

The MMA survey revealed a host of other new trends about the changing preferences among students in India looking to pursue undergraduate studies abroad. Wider course choices, and more countries are very healthy trends that show students are willing to look at much wider set of choices than in the past.

If you are looking for advice on options in Canada, call us at +91 8527816109 or write to us at enquiry@mdotm.in.