Author: Er. Koneru Lakshman Havish, Vice President, KLEF Deemed to be University
For many decades now, the top-ranked students of India have looked abroad—for what they believe is a “better” education. Studying abroad has not just been an academic decision, it has been a status symbol, a vehicle for global mobility, and, in some instances, a way out of a perceived limitation of the Indian system. Today though, India is at a tipping point. If we want to keep talent, leverage demographic dividends and build a genuinely knowledge-based economy, we need to make studying in India a first-choice, not a second-choice.
The Brain Drain Dilemma
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, in 2024, a record 1.33 million Indian students pursued for higher education abroad, spending billions collectively in tuition and living expenses. This global exposure has given many individuals the opportunity to grow into successful careers, but it also comes with a noted “brain drain.” Many of our best minds stay back in the foreign country where they studied, while we remain short on innovation, research output, and leadership of skilled professionals across sectors back home.
It is important for India to enhance its competitiveness, not only to attract international students but also to retain its own.
Reimagining Indian Higher Education
India’s higher education system has significantly evolved in the last few years. The recent National Education Policy (NEP) emphasizes flexibility, and research, while allowing disciplines to overlap. However, people’s perception is changing slowly, and today, Indian universities still struggle with being too rigid, outdated, or focused on memorization. Whether these perceptions are accurate or not is what drives many students to look to the west.
To address this changing perception, institutions should aim to strengthen four key areas: academic excellence, research ecosystems, internationalisation, and the overall student experience.
Investing in Research and Innovation
One of the biggest advantages of studying abroad is access to the most advanced research. Leading global universities have deeply-seeded relationships with industries, government think tanks, and innovation centres. India has talent, now we must build the infrastructure and the culture.
Government initiatives such as the PM Research Fellowship, Atal Innovation Mission, and National Research Foundation are encouraging efforts that inspire progress and innovation in higher education. But we need more…more funding, more autonomy for universities, and more public-private partnerships that transform campuses into hubs of discovery and innovation.
Our faculty should be rewarded to publish, to engage internationally, and to mentor students not just to get jobs, but to build ideas.
Changing the Narrative: Value, Not Vanity
A key motivator for going abroad is prestige. There is a deeply rooted perception that a U.S. or UK degree is better than an Indian degree. While there are many excellent foreign universities, there are just as many, which are not as good, particularly with the new visa restrictions, rising tuition fees, and the stories of inadequate experience international students are having.
India needs a truthful confidence campaign. We need to showcase our success stories, Nobel laureates, startup founders, policy leaders, and researchers who studied in India and created global legacies. We also need to promote value of Indian education, we have strong academic rigor, strong cultural foundations and excellent return on investment.
Making Education Affordable and Accessible
One advantage Indian universities provide is affordability. Sometimes, world-class education at a fraction of the cost compared with Western universities is a selling point; in many cases, it is a necessity for households. It is important to note that scholarships, education loans with low-interest rates, and government programs like the Vidya Lakshmi Portal are significant advantages. Not just affordability, but rather access should mean access to inclusion too. Giving first-generational learners, learners from rural areas, and marginalized communities the opportunity to think big, and study big, in their home country.
Internationalizing Indian Campuses
To make Indian education a first choice, we must also look outward. That means encouraging foreign faculty exchanges, collaborative research programs, and student mobility agreements. It also means actively attracting international students to Indian campuses—building multicultural, globally aware classrooms that match the qualities and standards of those abroad.
Empowering Students with Purpose
Education does not constitute a mere transaction. The decision students make upon selecting an institution goes beyond just an education; it is about finding belonging, feeling something more, about growing as human beings, about their future imaginations. Indian institutes of higher education must think beyond just employability and start prioritizing holistic development, mental health and wellness, creativity and entrepreneurship. Indian institutes of higher education must empower students not just with a degree, but with a direction.
A Call to Action
For India to truly emerge as a global knowledge superpower, we must begin by investing wholeheartedly in our universities—not just with funding, but with trust, vision, and a sense of urgency. It’s time to reshape the narrative around Indian higher education.
Studying in India must no longer be seen as a fallback. Instead, we must position it as a bold and inspiring first choice. Choosing to study here should be celebrated as a deliberate and forward-looking decision—not a compromise.
The future of Indian higher education lies in transforming perceptions—from “good enough if you can’t go abroad” to “good enough for the best and brightest, anywhere.” Education in India should become a destination of aspiration, not obligation.
Let us reimagine what it means to stay, study, and succeed in India.
