NITI Aayog Releases Report on ‘Internationalisation of Higher Education in India’

In December 2025, the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog released a report titled ‘Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations’, outlining a long-term roadmap to make India a global hub for higher education and research by 2047.

• The report was released by NITI Aayog’s senior leadership, including Suman Bery, Vice Chairman (VC), Dr. V.K.Paul, Member (Education), Dr. Arvind Virmani, Member, and B.V.R.Subrahmanyam, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with participation from Dr. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education (DoHE), and Prof. Sitharam, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

About Report on Internationalisation of Higher Education:

Preparation: This document has been prepared by the Education Division of NITI Aayog in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras(Chennai, Tamil Nadu, TN), the Association of India Universities (AIU) and Acumen.

Focus: The study centres on the concept of “internationalisation at home” as outlined in National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, analysing internationalisation strategies at the global, national and institutional levels, along with trends in academic mobility over the past two decades.

Data Sources: A comprehensive online survey comprising over 100 questions received responses from 160 Indian higher education institutions across 24 States.

• In addition, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were conducted with experts and representatives from nearly 30 international institutions from across 16 countries.
• Also, experiences from 140 national and international participants at a National Workshop organised at IIT Madras were also recorded.

Key Data: The study, conducted over the past year, noted that in 2024, for every international student who came to India to study, 28 Indian students went abroad for higher education.

• On a positive note, the report also highlighted that since 2001, the number of international students coming to India has increased by 518%.

Increase in Student inflow: To emerge as a global hub for higher education and research, India must increase international student inflows, for which the study provides time-bound projections using two forecasting models.

• The Global Benchmarking Approach based on the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) has projected the range for international student enrolment in India between 85,000 and 1.3 lakh in 2030, 1.23 lakh and 2.44 lakh in 2035, and 3 lakh and 11 lakh in 2047.
• The Internationalisation Intensity Approach based on the strategic intensity model has estimated international student enrolment at 1.5 lakh in 2030, 3.59 lakh in 2035, and 7.89 lakh in 2047.

Key Recommendations: The Report presents 22 Policy Recommendations, 76 Action Pathways, 125 Performance Success Indicators, along with nearly 30 Indian and Global Practices currently pursued.

• The recommendations are aimed at improving 5 thematic areas including Strategy & Regulation, Finance, Branding, Communication & Outreach, and Curriculum & Culture for making India the global hub of higher education and research by 2047.

Some of the key recommendations are setting up:

• Bharat Vidya Kosh as a national research sovereign wealth fund.
• Vishwa Bandhu scholarship to attract foreign students.
• Vishwa Bandhu fellowship to attract foreign research talent and faculty
• Bharat ki AAN (Alumni Ambassador Network) to leverage diaspora Indians who have studied at top Indian universities into acting as ambassadors for Indian higher education.

About National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog:
NITI Aayog was established on January 01, 2015 replacing the Planning Commission of India. It serves as the apex public policy think tank of the Government of India (GoI).
Chairman – Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Establishment – 2015