France emerges as top destination for Indian students

India has the largest population in the world in the age bracket of 5-24 years with 580 million people, presenting a huge opportunity in the education sector. The education market in India is expected to amount to US$ 225 billion by 2025. The lure of studying abroad is higher than ever among the youth. The rising and aspirational middle and upper class have created enough wealth, besides banks are also providing overseas education loans. This surge of Indian youth migrating abroad for studies is for several reasons, primarily being for quality higher education, international experience, seeking a job abroad, and migration to those countries etc.

As per govt., over 1.3 million Indian students are pursuing higher studies abroad in 2024, while it was about 0.9 million in 2022. It is estimated that by 2025, about 2 million students from India will be studying abroad. The total spending by Indian outbound students could reach US$70 billion by 2025. English speaking countries largely dominate Indian preference to study abroad – often called the ‘big four’ (US, UK, Canada and Australia). In the 2023-24 academic year, India experienced a 23% increase in student enrolment in the US, and 29% increase in the UK, where India became the top source of non-European Union students in 2022-23.

Of late the choice of study abroad destinations are becoming more diversified with many European countries attracting Indian students. Countries like Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands etc. are seeing a rise in number of Indian students. On the one hand, there are tighter visa restrictions for Indian students going to the popular big 4 destinations. On the other hand, Indian students are exploring non-English speaking destinations based on international reputation and high academic standards of their universities. Interest in European countries in general and France in particular is rising.

The excellence in higher education and research in France is widely acknowledged around the world as one of the world’s best and most accessible systems of higher education. France offers a large number of higher education programmes for foreign students whether they speak French or not. There are more than 3,500 public and private institutes of higher education giving a wide choice for foreign students who want to study in France. In 2023-24 over 4,30,000 international students are benefiting from highly diversified training, and they are enrolled in every field, at every level.

‘France offers quality education and a gateway to Europe for international students. Numerous French universities and Grandes Ecoles like emylon place highly in the most reputable international rankings. Indian students are showing greater interest in France to pursue higher education. We integrate the need of students for desired competencies, enhancing employability skills, honing their communication and soft skills. Students as future entrepreneurs and managers benefit with our offering of world class faculty, innovative pedagogical approaches, corporate interaction, thereby bringing global benchmarks of quality education and perspectives to Indian students.’ – said Dr. Isabelle Huault – Executive President and Dean of emlyon business school, France.

emlyon is one of the leading French higher education institutions. Established in 1872, it is one of the oldest business schools in Europe. emlyon is among the 1% of global business schools which aims to provide, through its research and teachings, responses to the challenges of a changing world. It hosts 9,260 students representing 130 nationalities in undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

In 2023, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Indo-French partnership, both countries adopted a roadmap to strengthen bilateral relationship up to 2047 termed ‘Horizon 2047’. One of the identified areas was science, technological innovation and academic cooperation as vectors of progress between the two. France has set a broader target of attracting 30,000 Indian students by 2030. Over the past few years, several Indian and French institutions of eminence have been proactively involved in series of academic partnerships for student and faculty exchange, as well as exploring joint research projects and collaborating to offer dual or double degrees. As India liberalizes the entry of foreign higher education institutions in the country, FHEI norms by UGC and prospects of GIFT city offers French institutions a wider footprint by setting up campus here.

Fostering Indo-French academic cooperation invite both countries offering substantial scholarships and cost of living stipend for incoming students. The need is to create visibility and awareness of their respective higher education programs for the students. At the same time highlighting the opportunities that their leading institutions offer to Indian and French students that can emerge as a strong alternative for higher education beyond the big four countries. Critical areas of academic cooperation can be STEM, management, entrepreneurship, innovation and technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI). In this context, President Macron has invited PM Modi to France for the AI Action Summit in Paris on 10-11 Feb. 2025. A bilateral at the sidelines with Macron can be an opportunity to further push the academic cooperation between the two countries which holds immense potential and a win-win scenario for both the nations.

Dr Mohit Anand is Prof of International Business and Strategy at EMLYON Business School, France. Rajesh Mehta is a leading consultant and columnist working on market entry, innovation and public policy.