India Sets Goal of 500,000 International Students by 2047

India, which hosts over 48,000 international students, aims to attract half a million international students by 2047, CEO of National Institution for Transforming India BVR Subrahmanyam said in a recent statement.

He made these comments at the 18th FICCI Higher Education Summit, emphasizing that universities need to adopt Artificial Intelligence to remain competitive in attracting international students, local media reports say.

According to the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020/21 report released by the Ministry of Education, India had a total of 48,035 international students from 163 different countries in 2020/21, Erudera.com reports.

Pointing out the necessity to have more student cities in India, Subrahmanyam urged the private sector to expand the country's higher education system so more international and domestic students study in India.

“One of the important points in this includes that by 2047 we aim to target half a million foreign students in India. We should become the global provider of education by improving our quality, brand value and improve our rankings, which are globally recognised,” he said while announcing that NITI Aayog is working on a document for 2047 where education is addressed separately.

Additionally, he highlighted the need for more innovation in the higher education sector and the crucial task of reshaping the educational system to produce graduates who are equipped with the right skills required in the industry.

In 2020/21, the majority of international students choosing India as their study abroad destination were from Nepal (28.26 percent), followed by Afghanistan (8.49 percent), and Bangladesh (5.72 percent), government’s data indicate.

Other countries with a significant share of students in India in 2020/21 were the United States, with 5.12 percent of students studying at Indian educational institutions, Sudan with 3.33 percent, and Bhutan with 3.8 percent. Students from top ten countries accounted for 67.48 percent of the total international student population in India that year.

The annual Open Doors Report released by the US Department of State, in collaboration with the Institute of International Education (IIE), revealed that India hosted 336 students from the US in 2021/22 academic year, up from only 16 students in 2020/21 and down from 1,736 students in 2019/20.

The South Korean government has also announced plans to increase international student enrolments to 300,000 by 2027, aiming to become one of the top ten global study destinations.

>> Japan Unveils Ambitious Plan to Welcome 400,000 International Students by 2033

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