Western Union, has released a new multi-generational study on ‘Education Overseas – An Evolving Journey’, to understand the collective journey Indian families go through as they strive toward their child’s international education and a global future. The study, commissioned by Western Union to NielsenIQ, provides a 360-degree perspective on the rapidly changing landscape, evolving priorities, key barriers and emerging trends that impact the decision-making process of students planning to study abroad.
The findings highlight a considerable shift in perspective of how students and parents are now viewing options for education abroad. Per data available from the Ministry of External Affairs, students from over 70,000 families went abroad to study in the first two months of 2021, undeterred by the pandemic. A majority of the students cited overall personal development as the most significant driver that trigger their decision to study abroad. In terms of country of choice, U.S., UK, Canada and Australia continue to stand out as the top four destinations. As of January 2021, there were more than 10.9 lakh Indian students studying in 85 countries across the globe.