Characterizing Indian Students Pursuing Global Higher Education

One might argue that an Indian student entering higher education is faced with a critical question—Where to study, in India or abroad? With a gross enrollment ratio of around 20% in the tertiary sector, only one in five in the 18 to 23 age group of a 140 million eventually gets to answer the question. But those who do, and whose numbers are rapidly increasing, pursue higher education abroad in response to a range of choices presented not only by increasing domestic provision in higher education but also through increased international collaborations (for instance, through branch campuses) that Indian students can avail of without leaving the country. As a result, this presents problems for characterizing the Indian student pursuing higher education abroad. By placing emphasis on the multiple transitions across spaces and tensions between “controlled” and “emergent” mobilities, this article sets out a conceptual framework with which to understand potential pathways into higher education, so that policy makers and educational providers can better understand international mobility in the Indian higher education sector.