Karnataka attracted the most foreign students in India during the 2023-24 academic year . Nepal sent the largest number of international students to the country. This data comes from the Ministry of Education's All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) for 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Foreign Student Enrolment Rises
The total number of foreign students in Indian higher education institutions increased. It rose from 48,726 in 2022-23 to 58,134 in 2023-24. This represents a significant increase in international student interest.
Top States for Foreign Students
Karnataka led with 7,914 foreign students in 2023-24. This total included 4,735 males and 3,179 females. Punjab followed closely with 7,901 students. This included 5,328 males and 2,574 females.
Maharashtra ranked third with 6,190 foreign students. Uttar Pradesh reported 5,953 students. Tamil Nadu followed with 5,694 international students.
2023-24 Foreign Student Enrolment by State
| State | Total Students | Male Students | Female Students |
| Karnataka | 7,914 | 4,735 | 3,179 |
| Punjab | 7,901 | 5,328 | 2,574 |
| Maharashtra | 6,190 | 3,581 | 2,609 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 5,953 | N/A | N/A |
| Tamil Nadu | 5,694 | N/A | N/A |
Overall, 37,295 male and 20,839 female foreign students enrolled in Indian higher education in 2023-24.
Nepal Leads in Student Numbers
Nepal was the largest source country for foreign students in India during 2023-24. Nepali students constituted 24.1% of the total foreign enrolment. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was second with 7.0%.
The United States and Bangladesh each accounted for 5.9% of foreign students. Nigeria contributed 5.5%, and Zimbabwe sent 4.0%. The top 10 countries combined provided 63.8% of all foreign student admissions.
Key AISHE 2023-24 Highlights
The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) for higher education increased to 30.0 in 2023-24. This is up from 29.5 in 2022-23. The GER measures student enrolment against the 18-23 age population.
Female participation in higher education remains strong. The Gender Parity Index (GPI) was 1.08 in 2023-24. It has been above 1 for seven consecutive years.
Total higher education enrolment reached 4.50 crore in 2023-24. This is a 31.5% increase over the last decade. Enrolment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses grew to 1.02 crore in 2023-24.
Undergraduate Courses Most Popular
Most foreign students chose undergraduate programmes. These accounted for 73.8% of all foreign student admissions in 2023-24. Postgraduate courses attracted 16.8% of foreign students.
