Harvard University may have won a temporary reprieve from the Trump administration’s attempt to bar international students, but the chaos and fear it unleashed – on the back of several recent policies that appear hostile to foreigners -- is prompting many Indian students to reconsider plans to study in the US.
“Is it worth going there in the middle of this uncertainty?” is the question echoing in the minds of multiple students heading to the US this fall, or planning to go next year.
At the undergraduate level, safety is the prime concern. Parents, in particular, are worried about the threats of deportation and visa revocation faced by many foreign students even for minor offences. Postgraduate students are more concerned about job opportunities.
A Gurgaon-based management consultant who turned down a University of Oxford MBA offer to accept one from Yale earlier this month, has now written to the UK university, asking if they’d still be open to accepting her. Otherwise, she’ll take a deferral on the US offer, she says.
A Mumbai-based investment banker reached out to an admissions consultant about his son, who is preparing to apply to US colleges for 2026. Given the current situation, he’s having second thoughts and now wants to check out options in other countries.
Study abroad consultants and industry experts said while the US will continue to have takers, in the near-term at least, there will be a growing inclination towards other destinations.
Many students and their parents – especially those planning to go next year – are now actively exploring options in the UK, Europe and the Middle East where several US universities have satellite campuses or partnerships.
“The US has been in discussion for a few months, what with talk of funding freezes, tighter immigration policies, etc… But now, with an iconic institution like Harvard under the pump, this could be the final trigger for those hovering on the verge of indecision,” said Adarsh Khandelwal, cofounder of Collegify.
People are increasingly looking at places like Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Singapore, and the UK, he said.
The Middle East – with NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar among others – is also gaining big traction. At Collegify, there’s been at least a 50% spike in interest in the Middle East, Khandelwal said.
Akshay Chaturvedi, founder of study abroad platform Leverage Edu, said that they are seeing more enquiries for Germany than for the US for the first time in eight years. “France is also opening up as a new destination for Indian students,” he told ET.
Recent reports said that France has announced a major initiative to welcome 30,000 Indian students by 2030.
The UK, Australia, Germany, Japan and South Korea are also among countries actively courting Indian students, experts said.
Given the dependence of many US universities on international students, especially economically, the US will eventually have to fix the way things are going now, Chaturvedi said. “But for now, the damage is done for the next 12-18 months,” he added.
Amitabh Jhingan, partner at EY Parthenon India and EY global education sector leader, said that recent policy and government actions may impact PG student volumes to the US for the next few years. Yet, overall, the US remains an attractive destination for MBA, liberal arts, technology and law, he said.
“Even in the immediate future, higher-income families and UG students will be less impacted by these external factors,” Jhingan said.
Rajdeep Chimni, chief mentor at MBA admissions consultancy Admissions Gateway, too, said the US will face some heat as a study destination in the near term for MBA candidates. However, since the USA is home to the world’s best business schools, it will continue to be the place students aspire to study, he added.
Indian institutes may also see more interest from candidates, industry watchers said.
“With the job market improving in India, interest in domestic institutes, especially B-schools is also likely to go up,” Jhingan said. “However, seats are limited, and competition is also intense.”
“Is it worth going there in the middle of this uncertainty?” is the question echoing in the minds of multiple students heading to the US this fall, or planning to go next year.
At the undergraduate level, safety is the prime concern. Parents, in particular, are worried about the threats of deportation and visa revocation faced by many foreign students even for minor offences. Postgraduate students are more concerned about job opportunities.
A Gurgaon-based management consultant who turned down a University of Oxford MBA offer to accept one from Yale earlier this month, has now written to the UK university, asking if they’d still be open to accepting her. Otherwise, she’ll take a deferral on the US offer, she says.
A Mumbai-based investment banker reached out to an admissions consultant about his son, who is preparing to apply to US colleges for 2026. Given the current situation, he’s having second thoughts and now wants to check out options in other countries.
Study abroad consultants and industry experts said while the US will continue to have takers, in the near-term at least, there will be a growing inclination towards other destinations.
Many students and their parents – especially those planning to go next year – are now actively exploring options in the UK, Europe and the Middle East where several US universities have satellite campuses or partnerships.
“The US has been in discussion for a few months, what with talk of funding freezes, tighter immigration policies, etc… But now, with an iconic institution like Harvard under the pump, this could be the final trigger for those hovering on the verge of indecision,” said Adarsh Khandelwal, cofounder of Collegify.
People are increasingly looking at places like Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Singapore, and the UK, he said.
The Middle East – with NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar among others – is also gaining big traction. At Collegify, there’s been at least a 50% spike in interest in the Middle East, Khandelwal said.
Akshay Chaturvedi, founder of study abroad platform Leverage Edu, said that they are seeing more enquiries for Germany than for the US for the first time in eight years. “France is also opening up as a new destination for Indian students,” he told ET.
Recent reports said that France has announced a major initiative to welcome 30,000 Indian students by 2030.
The UK, Australia, Germany, Japan and South Korea are also among countries actively courting Indian students, experts said.
Given the dependence of many US universities on international students, especially economically, the US will eventually have to fix the way things are going now, Chaturvedi said. “But for now, the damage is done for the next 12-18 months,” he added.
Amitabh Jhingan, partner at EY Parthenon India and EY global education sector leader, said that recent policy and government actions may impact PG student volumes to the US for the next few years. Yet, overall, the US remains an attractive destination for MBA, liberal arts, technology and law, he said.
“Even in the immediate future, higher-income families and UG students will be less impacted by these external factors,” Jhingan said.
Rajdeep Chimni, chief mentor at MBA admissions consultancy Admissions Gateway, too, said the US will face some heat as a study destination in the near term for MBA candidates. However, since the USA is home to the world’s best business schools, it will continue to be the place students aspire to study, he added.
Indian institutes may also see more interest from candidates, industry watchers said.
“With the job market improving in India, interest in domestic institutes, especially B-schools is also likely to go up,” Jhingan said. “However, seats are limited, and competition is also intense.”
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