COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t deterred Indian students to pursue their study-abroad dreams, however, the focus has moved towards smaller countries that are less impacted by the virus. Emerging destinations such as Sweden and Israel have seen a rise in the number of applications from India — a stark contrast with the traditional favourite destinations including US, UK, Canada, and Australia  that are expecting a decline in the number of international applications.

 

Sweden embassy claims that the interest for international degree students to study in their country has increased by 13 per cent. The number of Indians applying for undergraduate courses in that country has increased from 3,526 in 2019 to 6,811 this year. Among postgraduate Indian applications too, there has been a minor increase to 2,111 applicants from 2044 in the year 2019, according to the data shared by the embassy.

 

Israeli universities, too, have witnessed growth in interest from the international student. The University of Haifa, Israel alone has seen a 25 per cent increase in applications from Indian students this year.

Prof Yaffa Zilbershats, the Chair of Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education, attributed this to the “country’s digital learning, innovation, and entrepreneurship” efforts amid the pandemic.