Author: MMA Research

Indian students have been known to seek international education options for their master’s degree in large numbers. And that has been accepted wisdom for a long time.

Perhaps the most surprising finding of the Indian Secondary Schools Survey 2015 has been an overwhelming preference for Bachelor’s programs abroad.

Almost half of the respondents indicated that among their students who are planning to study abroad, more than 75%  are interested in Bachelor’s studies abroad.

This was an important indicator of preferences, so we checked intention for Master’s programs separately. The results corroborate this massive shift in student preferences.

Among schools where more than 75% students were likely to apply abroad, only 17% of respondents were planning for Master’s.

Over the years, China has been the biggest driver of international student numbers to all the top destination countries including US, Australia, Canada, UK and New Zealand. In the last three years, India has seen a healthy surge too.

Students from India and China account for anywhere between 35-45% of the total international students in the Top 3 destination countries: US, Australia and Canada.

In the US, Indian and Chinese students account for nearly 45% of total international students, and this proportion has been growing steadily over the years. Over the past decade or so, there has been a big spike from Chinese students.

In the past two years however, the momentum in terms of % increase of student numbers has been higher with India than China.

The other country where the two groups – Indians and Chinese – have a dominant presence is Canada. Today, Indians and Chinese account for 42% of international students in the country.

Just six years back, in 2010, they accounted for only 30%. That’s very rapid growth in numbers, and the biggest reason why Canada has displaced UK as the third-most popular destination country.

Canada has been low-key in its marketing, but with first UK tightening its visa norms, and now the US government not exactly eager to welcome people from abroad, Canada’s stellar qualities are coming to light.

Canada has always a multi-cultural society, which consciously seeks diversity. That’s the reason that two of the Top 3 universities in North America with the highest proportion of international students to domestic students are from Canada.

University of Toronto and University of British Columbia (UBC) have 20-25% of their student population from outside the country. In UBC, out of total student population of 62,000, about 14,400 are international students.

In Australian universities also, the market-share of students from India and China is high, at 37.5%. So if you are looking for countries where Indian students already account for a large chunk of international students, look no further than US, Canada and Australia.

And given the propensity for Canadian universities to seek diversity, Canada is giving a run for its money to the US also.

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

In the recently concluded survey by MM Advisory Services across top schools in India, 45% of those who chose Canada as their place for undergraduate study cited “opportunities to work and stay during and after education” as their reason.

UK is still the overall #2 choice after US, and actually UK has been a popular destination for the longest time for the same reason. But with the tightening of the visa norms in the past few years in UK, those who were looking for work opportunities after study now see Canada as a strong option.

This is one of the key findings 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.

In 2014, Canada scrapped the requirement of getting a work permit to work off-campus if you have a valid study permit and have been studying there for at least 6 months.

Some universities have formal Work Study programs which offer jobs on campus or with organizations that are affiliated with the university.

Contrast this with new regulations in UK that no longer allow international students to take jobs off-campus, or even apply for work permit after their studies are over.

Over the past 5 years, Canada has steadily grown as a top destination for students looking to study abroad. Last year, according to MM Advisory estimates, between 55,000-65,000 students went to Canada for undergraduate, post-graduate or PG Diploma studies.

That’s nearly 20% of the total number of students from India who went to study abroad in 2016. Considering that the US accounts for nearly 45% of all student volume from India, the numbers to Canada have grown significantly.

With enabling policies that encourage work opportunities during and after study, and with the US attractiveness as a destination declining, even though temporarily, Canada will only continue to consolidate its position as a preferred destination for Indian students over the next few years.

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