Currency crash and visa crackdowns force Indian students to rethink studying abroad

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Currency crash and visa crackdowns force Indian students to rethink studying abroad1 hour ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleNikhil InamdarGetty ImagesRepresentative image. Every year, millions of Indian students go abroad to study After many years of careful planning, Pragati Priya, a 29-year-old content creator from the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, finally decided to enrol in a master's programme abroad this year. Priya will head to university in Rome in September to study global economic affairs - a move she hopes will open the door to better professional opportunities in Europe.

She's excited about what the future holds, but also questions whether she's made the right decision. The amount she needs to borrow for her programme has risen sharply because of the steep decline in the value of the Indian rupee against a basket of currencies, including the euro, over the past few months. "It has kept me up at night.

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I don't want to burden myself with a student loan that will never finish ," Priya told the over phone. Her anxiety mirrors the dilemma facing hundreds of thousands of middle-class Indian students who leave home each year to study at universities across Europe, North America and Australia. 2 million Indian students were enrolled in higher education abroad in 2025, with India having overtaken China some years ago as the leading source of international students.

But a weakening currency, bleak job prospects in the US and Europe, stricter visa requirements and immigration crackdowns have forced many to reconsider whether it is worth taking on hefty debts to move abroad. "I considered dropping my plans, but my parents and sister promised to support me. That's the only reason I'm able to take this risk," Priya said.

For many others, that is not a luxury they can afford - a reality reflected in declining enrolment numbers for the upcoming September intake at universities. Getty ImagesThe UK is a major destination for Indian students looking to get an overseas degree"The market is clearly showing signs of slowing down. We've already seen enrolments to the UK and US fall by 20% over the last two years, and I expect another 10-15% decline from those levels going forward," Sushil Sukhwani, founder of Edwise International, which sends thousands of Indian students to universities abroad each year, told the .

Tougher visa requirements have already taken a toll. In the UK, 76% of universities reported a decline in Indian student enrolments for the January intake, while in the US, enrolments fell by nearly 7% between February 2025 and February 2026. The sharp fall in the rupee has compounded the challenges facing both prospective students and those already studying overseas.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.