Expenditure on abroad study hits five-year low

Remittance by Indian nationals for abroad studies has dipped to a five-year low of $138.8 million in June 2025 as countries strengthen restrictions on Indian students, TOI reported.

This number is nearly half of the $314 million average during the last five years and far from the $718 million in September 2021. However, spending on travel continues to be more than the five-year average of over $1 billion. Overall expenditures are at $2.1 billion, lowest since February 2025.

"We are seeing student remittances down by 10-15%, largely due to the US and Canada. Our US student remittances are down nearly 30% from a year ago because of visa restrictions. Canada is also lower. The UK has been the biggest gainer, as other destinations like Australia also have restrictions on the number of students and are turning down visa applications from certain geographies," said Hariprasad MP, executive director & business head, Ebix World Money.

Several study preference destinations have made stricter visa and enrolment criteria for Indian students in 2025. Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK have all introduced stricter requirements.

(With TOI inputs)