So long, West? Why South Asian students are rethinking where to go for university

For years, South Asian students – particularly from India – treated an overseas undergraduate degree as the default springboard to an international career. That assumption is now changing. Students across the region are still drawn to prestigious Western institutions, but tightening visa restrictions, rising costs and uncertain post-graduation job markets in countries like the United States are prompting families to rethink their options. Experts say more are choosing to complete their first degree closer to home. The shift represents a recalibration rather than a retreat from global ambitions: undergraduate study at home or within Asia, followed by postgraduate study abroad. Many students are also turning to regional alternatives as international institutions establish branch campuses in India and other countries such as Singapore and Japan gain traction, according to the Cambridge Destination Survey 2025-26, released on Monday. According to the report, 53 per cent of South Asian respondents now prefer remaining in their home countries for undergraduate studies before pursuing postgraduate degrees abroad. Rod Smith, group managing director at Cambridge International Education, told This Week in Asia that South Asian students undertaking Cambridge school-level qualifications previously viewed the curriculum as an automatic pathway to undergraduate study in Australia, the US, Canada or the UK. “But actually over the last five years plus that pattern has been changing and actually has been accelerating,” Smith said. “There’s probably more students [who] stay on in India than travel overseas, even with their international qualifications.” The survey noted that students “increasingly view domestic or regional universities as viable launch pads for international careers and postgraduate study”. At the same time, traditional study-abroad hubs face growing competition from Singapore, Dubai, South Korea, Japan and Malaysia, alongside European destinations including the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland. Applications to US universities from Indian undergraduates dropped 15 per cent in the 2025-26 cycle, according to a report released by the non-profit organisation Common App on Tuesday – one of the sharpest country-specific declines and a clear reversal after years of growth. Arjun Seth, founder of New Delhi-based education consultancy EdBrand, which guides students and young professionals applying to university programmes abroad, said interest in studying overseas remained high, but visa restrictions in the US had dampened enthusiasm. Historically, overseas education for Indian students was concentrated at the postgraduate level due to cost constraints, Seth said, as four-year undergraduate degrees cost considerably more than one- to two-year master’s programmes. “They think that if they study for one to 1½ years overseas they can get a job globally, which is not true now,” he said, adding that the US had remained the most popular destination despite declining interest among students. Though the UK had also benefited from this trend, sluggish economic growth and a tough job market had weighed on students’ choices, he said. Despite the growing interest in universities in places like Singapore and Dubai, Seth said their total intake was a fraction of the millions of Indian students entering higher education each year. Expanding regional choices The shifting education landscape also reflects the growth in “high-quality options” in India, according to Smith. Following India’s 2023 policy allowing foreign universities to open independent campuses, the UK’s University of Southampton launched operations in Gurugram, within India’s National Capital Region. The Cambridge survey said the shift among Indian students partly reflected growing interest in private Indian universities such as Ashoka, Krea and Flame. India now has 52 universities in the QS World University Rankings 2027 edition – up from 14 in 2015 – a 271 per cent increase in little more than a decade. The country is now the fourth most represented higher education system globally after the US, UK and China. “There is still a huge need for many more collective philanthropy-based universities which are run by professionals and the Indian diaspora,” Seth said, adding that the demand for high-quality education still outstrips supply. Other South Asian nations are adjusting their policies to retain local talent. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are actively updating policies to welcome foreign education providers and transnational models. Md. Habibe Millat, president of the Global Centre for Democratic Governance in Canada, who previously held a prominent faculty role in Bangladesh’s university education sector, said the trend was part of a broader shift across South Asia. “In Bangladesh and across South Asia, more families are considering strong universities at home or elsewhere in Asia for undergraduate study, while reserving Western universities particularly for postgraduate and specialised education,” Millat said. “The quality and diversity of higher education in Asia have improved significantly, particularly in medicine, engineering, technology, and business. Students now have credible regional alternatives that can offer good academic standards at a much lower cost.” He added, however, that genuinely high-quality university places in Bangladesh remained scarce relative to demand. Nevertheless, he said rising tuition fees and living costs in traditional Western destinations were major considerations for students, as securing scholarships had become increasingly competitive and lengthy visa processing and uncertainty were discouraging applicants. “Families are now looking beyond university rankings and considering security, employment prospects, visa accessibility, and whether students will feel welcome in the destination country,” Millat said.

So long, West? Why South Asian students are rethinking where to go for university

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Rising costs, visa restrictions and better regional choices drive a shift towards domestic undergraduate study before going abroad

Rising costs, visa restrictions and better regional choices drive a shift towards domestic undergraduate study before going abroad