55% of study abroad aspirants are state board students; Germany top destination: Report

NEW DELHI: The majority of study abroad aspirants are BTech graduates and studied from state boards while management courses are the most sought-after, as per a study abroad trends report by UpGrad. The survey was conducted on 25,000 students across tier 1 or metros cities (42.8%), Tier 2 and Tier 3 (57.2%) cities.

As per the report, Canada witnessed a decline in popularity for the study abroad destination with only 9.3% of total respondents picking it up as a ‘dream’ destination. Instead, European countries have been seeing greater demand, 48.85%, followed by the USA (27.6%) and the UK (9.5%). Even the UK has fallen by 11.34% in the list of top study abroad destinations.

Also read Study Abroad in 2024: What are the new student visa requirements for top destinations?

Within Europe, destinations such as Germany (32.6%), Ireland (3.9%), France (3.3%), and other European nations (9%) are gaining popularity amongst Indian students in 2024, according to the UpGrad report.

Study Abroad: Major findings of the report

• Among the respondents, the majority were BTech graduates (44%), followed by BCom graduates (19%), BSc graduates (15%), and BA graduates (10%)
• In terms of work experience, 44% of respondents reported as fresh graduates, 23% with 0-2 years of experience, 19% with 2-6 years of experience, and 14% with more than 6 years of work experience.
• State Board students led in study abroad aspiration with 56% of respondents being from state boards, while only 32% were from CBSE and the remaining 12% were from ISC or IB.
• ‘Better Jobs’ emerged as the top motivator to study abroad followed by ‘Quality Education’ and ‘Permanent Residency.’ Nearly 45.7% of respondents hold the view that studying abroad enhances their employability, exposes them to global job markets, and provides opportunities for professional growth and development.
• Management degrees are the most sought-after programmes abroad, picked by 55.6% of respondents. 28.7% expressed interest in computer science and IT. Traditional engineering and medical science degrees followed.
• 41.1% of the aspirants reported to be from middle-class families with an overseas education budget ranging from 16 to 25 lakhs. This has also added to the popularity of affordable destinations and blended learning. The second-largest group of 40.4% were those with a budget between 26-50 lakh.
• 66.5% of the respondents preferred to seek education loans to meet the study abroad budget requirements, while the remaining 33.5% said they had access to self-funding.