India is booming. The Indian economy is growing rapidly, and Indian business schools are climbing in rankings worldwide. Yet, international students remain relatively rare in Indian higher education.  

In 2021/22, AISHE (All India Survey on Higher Education) reported just over 46,000 international students across nearly 2,400 higher education institutions. Of these 46,000 students, 28% came from Nepal.  In 2022/23, UK universities attracted 758,855 international students, in 2023 Australian universities had 453,796 international students, while in 2024 the USA reached an all-time high of more than 1.1 million international students.

The full report can be downloaded on this page.

Anant Upadhyay, CarringtonCrisp’s India-based consultant, writes about the need to build brand India to attract international students, shares our insights on the next steps for internationalising Indian business education:

In the past two years, India has taken bold policy steps to open its higher education system to the world. From enabling foreign universities to set up campuses in India, to allowing Indian institutions to grow international admissions by up to 25% of their current domestic student numbers, the shift is ambitious and necessary. Yet, despite these structural advances, a more human challenge remains: international students still don’t see India as a top study destination.

CarringtonCrisp’s new International India report uncovers the scale of the issue. Of over 4,000 respondents surveyed across 22 countries, only 8% were actively considering India for a business degree. And the reasons go beyond rankings or regulations. One in three simply said, “I don’t know any good Indian business schools.” Others cited language barriers, cultural concerns, and lack of scholarships.

This isn’t a supply problem—it’s a story problem.

India is offering world-class value in business education. The cost of an MBA at a top-tier Indian institution is often half that of a Western equivalent. Indian business schools are gaining ground in global rankings, winning accreditations, and producing graduates ready for a booming economy. But as the report shows, value without visibility isn’t enough. International students want proof of experience, brand trust, and peer validation. They want to see others like them thrive in India.

Interestingly, the report also reveals a clear path forward. Over 70% of students said they would be attracted to joint degree models, short-term study in India, or hybrid international partnerships. These aren’t just preferences—they are opportunities for Indian institutions to “de-risk” India for prospective students, providing them a taste of the country before committing to a full programme.

Previous newsletter articles have explored the arrival of foreign universities into India and the UGC’s push to expand international enrolments at home. Together with this report, the pattern is clear: India is laying the physical and policy groundwork, but global mindshare is still missing.

To fill that gap, Indian institutions will need to:

• Invest in clear, confident brand messaging,
• Promote global alumni success stories,
• Collaborate with foreign partners to co-brand degrees, and
• Shift from simply offering access to designing experiences worth sharing.

Only then can India move from a country of opportunity to a destination of choice.

For additional insights, announcements and perspectives about other aspects of Business Education, visit the conversation here.