MUMBAI: For years, the educational compass pointed westwards-to the ivy-clad promise of America, the cultural familiarity of Britain, or the professional lure of Canada. Now the trend is pointing towards a diversification of destinations as well as a look inwards: in 2024, 56% of Cambridge students from India chose to stay back home for undergraduate studies, a sharp rise over earlier years.
This shift has prompted the board to launch Cambridge connection bridge courses for students wanting to make the cut in the top engineering and medical colleges of India. The report, Cambridge Destinations 2024, suggests that Indian Cambridge students are redrawing the map of their aspirations, with just a third now going abroad. Globally, the figure is reversed: 42% of Cambridge students worldwide moved overseas for higher education, with the UK, US, and Australia still dominating the flow.
"Given geopolitical developments, there are anxieties that are impacting the student flows. And domestic destinations within India are becoming more attractive for them," Ben Schmidt, Director, International Network, Cambridge International, told TOI. Anticipating that, the board now offers bridge courses to allow for a "very smooth transition for those students who want to choose to study at top colleges, especially science, medicine, and STEM subjects" in India.
The reasons to not fly out are pragmatic. "There is a noticeable increase in students choosing India due to improved domestic academic standards, affordability, and flexibility," said the report. Besides, more students are exploring European destinations, especially Germany, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong SAR China, Singapore, and the UK, it added. Visa delays, rising costs, and safety anxieties are among factors seen to have dulled the appeal of US and Canada. Another trend of psychology and sociology finding takers, alongside the long-entrenched trio of engineering, business, and computer science, reports Hemali Chhapia.
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