Latest QS knowledge suggesting round 8.5 million international students will research overseas by 2030. In the meantime, infrastructure constraints in main supply nations is pushing extra college students abroad, main many nations to revise schooling and immigration insurance policies to fulfill rising demand whereas introducing measures to make sure “real” college students type a part of their establishments’ worldwide cohorts.
Right here’s our choose of the non–massive 4 nations (in no explicit order) which have, over the previous 12 months, considerably elevated or restricted worldwide enrolments, launched new insurance policies for worldwide college students, and expanded transnational schooling (TNE) alternatives to help pupil development in 2025.
Germany
Any checklist of rising research locations can be incomplete with out Germany. According to DAAD, the Western European nation at the moment hosts round 420,000 worldwide college students, with three-quarters of its universities reporting steady or rising numbers of newly enrolled worldwide college students.
Furthermore, latest analysis shows that worldwide college students contribute considerably extra to public funds than they obtain, with round 80,000 college students who started learning in 2022 anticipated to pay practically €15.5 billion extra in taxes and duties over their lifetimes than they obtain in state advantages.
Whereas concerns stay round visas, housing, dwelling prices, language boundaries and profession prospects, stakeholders say Germany’s rising enchantment is pushed by its tuition-free universities, English-taught packages, concentrate on skills-based schooling, and its want to handle labour shortages.
South Korea
South Korea’s speedy development in worldwide enrolments might place it as a big-four equal in Asia. This 12 months, the nation surpassed its target of 300,000 worldwide college students two years forward of schedule. Over a 3rd of worldwide college students got here from Vietnam, adopted by China, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Nepal — highlighting the nation’s rising enchantment throughout growing Asian markets.
The worldwide rise of curiosity in Korean tradition, alongside a rise in English-taught programmes, has pushed curiosity in learning in South Korea, with American pupil numbers rising from 834 in 2002/03 to five,909 in 2022/23. Nonetheless, boundaries to gaining employment stay a key concern for worldwide college students, as reported by The PIE.
Whereas a survey final 12 months of 805 worldwide college students discovered that over 90% hope to remain and work after commencement, greater than two-thirds mentioned securing the E-7 (Specifically Designated Actions) visa was tough as a result of restricted entry to profession alternatives, with stakeholders pointing to lingering biases and restricted institutional help as key challenges.
France
France hosted practically 445,000 worldwide college students in 2024/25 and is rising as one of the formidable non–massive 4 research locations, positioning itself as an alternative to the US, because it sees declining enrolments and tighter worldwide pupil insurance policies.
Aiming to host 500,000 worldwide college students by 2027, France has been stepping up recruitment efforts lately. A number of establishments, together with main enterprise faculties, have fast-tracked purposes or prolonged deadlines for US-bound college students and created pathways for researchers affected by the Trump administration’s crackdown on US universities, whereas reporting robust recruitment outcomes throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Asia-Oceania.
In India, the place France goals to draw 30,000 college students by 2030, enrolments rose 17% over the previous 12 months, with initiatives comparable to Lessons Internationales, alongside analysis collaborations and potential joint campuses, enjoying a key function in strengthening bilateral schooling and analysis ties.
Malaysia
Malaysia is rising as a Southeast Asian hotspot for worldwide schooling, focusing on 250,000 worldwide college students by 2030 and recording a 26% rise in purposes over the previous two years.
Whereas demand is rising from nations together with Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Japan, Nigeria and Egypt, the sharpest enhance has come from China, with Chinese language pupil numbers rising 25% year-on-year in 2024.
The nation additionally advantages from one of many world’s most developed transnational schooling fashions, underscored by Monash College’s lately announced second campus — its largest-ever funding in Malaysia — targeted on vitality transition, well being, AI and knowledge science.
Eire
The seven-million-strong country noticed worldwide enrolments attain an all-time excessive of over 40,000 college students in 2023/24 and views worldwide schooling as “crucial”, as highlighted by Eire’s minister for additional and better schooling, analysis, innovation and science, James Lawless, at The PIE Live Ireland 2025.
With UK universities adopting totally different insurance policies for EU college students, many have turned to Eire, with the nation’s tech-focused development, industry-led studying, profession alternatives and high quality packages strengthening its enchantment.
Though Eire continues to place itself as welcoming for worldwide college students and expects numbers to develop, supported by initiatives comparable to International Residents 2030 and a brand new high quality framework for English language faculties, lengthy research visa wait times, lodging shortages and security considerations stay key challenges.
Japan
Japan noticed worldwide enrolments rise to 336,708 college students as of Might 2024, signalling progress in the direction of its goal of internet hosting over 400,000 worldwide college students by 2033.
Practically 9 in 10 worldwide college students in Japan come from elsewhere in Asia — notably China, Nepal, Vietnam, South Korea and Myanmar — with the Ministry of Schooling (MEXT) planning to raise enrolment caps at choose universities by 5% from April 2026 to “encourage the recruitment of excellent worldwide college students”.
Japan has additionally launched a brand new program to draw abroad researchers, allocating ¥3.3bn throughout 11 universities over the subsequent three years to offer monetary help.
Whereas Japan is focusing on over 15,000 college students from India and greater than 500,000 people-to-people exchanges over the subsequent 5 years, its deteriorating relationship with China has affected academic journey, with each nations issuing security advisories following feedback by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on potential Chinese language navy motion towards Taiwan.
New Zealand
New Zealand will not be a brand new entrant, having been a well-liked research vacation spot even earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nonetheless, over the previous 12 months it has shifted its method, launching the Worldwide Schooling: Going for Development plan underneath its broader Going for Development technique. The plan goals to extend worldwide pupil enrolments from 83,700 to 119,000 by 2034 and double the sector’s worth from NZ$3.6bn (£1.60bn) to NZ$7.2bn (£3.20bn).
Schooling-related journey exports reached NZ$4.52bn within the 12 months ending September 2025, whereas coverage adjustments included rising work rights for eligible research visa holders from 20 to 25 hours.
Nonetheless, considerations stay round financial development and rising outward migration, with unemployment reaching a close to nine-year excessive of 5.3%, whilst worldwide college students get able to play a key function underneath the brand new tertiary schooling technique.
Regardless of a slight dip in research visa purposes, 2025 was largely constructive, with approval charges rising 7% as of October 2025 and worldwide pupil satisfaction remaining high at 87%, in line with an Schooling New Zealand survey.
China
Whereas China has lengthy been one of many world’s largest pupil supply nations, it’s now aiming to grow to be a serious TNE hub, with joint campuses, packages and analysis partnerships on the core of its stratregy.
As curiosity in learning within the massive 4 declines as a result of rising prices and the provision of nearer options, China has superior its personal internationalisation technique over the previous two years, specializing in tutorial exchanges, analysis cooperation and participation in international schooling governance.
In 2025, China additional expanded its TNE push by means of a brand new regulatory framework easing restrictions, together with lifting enrolment caps on joint schooling institutes and packages, permitting flexibility past the 4+0 mannequin, dashing up approvals, and introducing an AI-driven “good platform” to help worldwide partnerships.
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been main the Center East in worldwide pupil curiosity, with Keystone analysis knowledge from August 2025 displaying the nation accounted for 59% of all MENA research vacation spot searches on the platform, alongside an almost 90% year-on-year enhance in search curiosity in June 2025.
Whereas India stays the biggest supply market, college students from nations together with Singapore, France, the US and Germany are additionally among the many strongest audiences, with the UAE additionally positioning itself as a rising hub for Chinese language students, notably in Dubai.
The UAE’s most populous metropolis continues to attract each worldwide college students and schooling suppliers, with practically 40 new early years, Okay-12 and better schooling establishments anticipated to have opened up in the course of the latest tutorial 12 months.
Kazakhstan
Whereas Kazakhstan could also be a shock entrant on this checklist for some, its report in 2025 suggests in any other case. The Central Asian nation noticed over 35,000 worldwide college students enrol in its universities within the 2025 tutorial 12 months, primarily from India, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China, and Russia.
Aiming to host 100,000 worldwide college students by 2028, Kazakhstan is more and more being considered as a extra steady alternative to neighbouring Russia, whose battle with Ukraine has led to its rising isolation on the worldwide tutorial stage.
In recent times, notably in 2025, the nation has seen a pointy rise in greater schooling funding, and a rising variety of worldwide department campuses. Establishments from nations together with Türkiye, Russia, Italy, the UK, South Korea, and Germany have introduced plans throughout main cities, including to the present tally of greater than 20 worldwide universities with campuses.
India
India is on monitor to grow to be the world’s largest greater schooling ecosystem, with round 90 million college students projected to be enrolled in universities throughout the nation by 2035.
Whereas India at the moment hosts wherever between 50,000-70,000 worldwide college students and has the potential to draw 1.1 million by 2047 by means of a variety of insurance policies, there was an almost 6% drop in abroad university-level enrolments amongst Indian college students, with research overseas remittances falling to their lowest degree in eight years.
This doesn’t imply curiosity in learning overseas has waned fully, with latest knowledge suggesting that for each worldwide pupil coming to India, practically 28 Indians depart.
New insurance policies comparable to larger regulatory freedom for prime worldwide universities to open campuses in India, efforts to attract Indian-origin and worldwide college and researchers from overseas, and devoted portals for study-abroad returnees sign the nation’s goal to grow to be a world schooling hub.
Furthermore, main IITs, IIMs, and different non-public universities throughout India are additionally widening their outbound TNE ambitions, with campuses in Tanzania, the UAE, Singapore, Australia, and different nations.
Vietnam
Whereas Vietnam has lengthy been seen as a serious supply nation, with its outbound pupil inhabitants at one level rising by round 15% yearly, it’s now additionally positioning itself as a key vacation spot.
The nation goals to lift the proportion of worldwide college students to 1.5%, enhance the presence of Vietnamese universities in international and Asia rankings, and implement methods to develop schooling, analysis, and innovation by 2030, with a imaginative and prescient to 2045.
Vietnam is already seeing a major variety of college students from nations comparable to Laos, Cambodia, and China, and is planning part-time work rights for worldwide college students as numbers develop owing to the nation’s comparatively low prices, political stability, high quality schooling choices in Vietnamese and English, private security, and tropical local weather.
Malta
The small and serene island nation in southern Europe has seen a major rise in worldwide enrolments, increasing by 27% in only one 12 months.
Indian college students have recorded the most important year-on-year enhance on the tertiary degree, adopted by college students from Nigeria, Libya, and Egypt, with high-quality English language {qualifications}, post-study work visa choices, and different elements driving its sluggish but sustained development.
Within the English Language Educating (ELT) sector, Malta has seen one of many strongest post-pandemic booms in worldwide college students, albeit with slower development. Nonetheless, the sector has remained cautious, warning faculties that widespread discounting might have an effect on faculties’ monetary viability and schooling high quality within the race to remain aggressive.
Spain
Spain, which hosts over 100,000 worldwide college students, is one other European vacation spot to look at in 2026 because it appears to be like to extend numbers, notably amid stricter US guidelines for worldwide college students. The nation accepted a fast-track program, EduBridge to Spain, final 12 months to help this push.
Cities comparable to Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia provide a major variety of English-taught packages, whereas worldwide graduates can apply for a 12 month job-seeker residence allow that may result in a full work allow as soon as employment is secured. College students are additionally permitted to work as much as 30 hours every week whereas learning, among the many highest allowances globally.
Netherlands
The Netherlands was comparatively restrictive in the direction of worldwide college students in 2025, with the Dutch authorities transferring forward with plans to cut back abroad enrolments, introducing caps at 5 key universities throughout the Randstad area, doubtlessly resulting in countrywide financial losses of as much as €5bn.
Though the federal government has beforehand walked again measures to limit English-taught packages, worldwide enrolments have nonetheless declined by 5%, alongside home enrolments, which stakeholders within the sector view as the results of heavy-handed insurance policies.
Denmark
Following within the footsteps of the Netherlands, Denmark has additionally made headlines for introducing restrictions on the variety of worldwide college students its universities can recruit, with a number of measures impacting college students notably from Bangladesh and Nepal.
Denmark has mentioned it desires worldwide college students to return primarily for research functions, amid considerations that some are utilizing research visas as a “backdoor” to the labour market, citing challenges round tutorial and language ranges, participation in unskilled work, and bringing household dependents.
For third-country (non-EU) college students, Denmark has imposed stricter tutorial entry necessities, restrictions on spouses, nationwide critiques of cast paperwork, and shorter post-study work permits.
