Decision Making Process of Prospective International Students at Different Levels Ofeducation

In recent years, global mobility has significantly changed. So are the strategies to attract international students. In an intense competitive environment of global education market, host countries are targeting students of Asian origin in general and Indian students in particular. Increasing competition has caused complexities in choices and decision making process. Empirical findings of the present study reveal that the decision making process of going abroad for higher education is more rigorous. Distinct ways have been adopted by the students at different levels of education in due course of decision.

India is a country where from proportion of outward mobility of students is quite high. It has become a leading player in the international students market, the second most important sending country after China. The number of Indian students studying abroad has steadily increased from about 150, 000 in 2006 to about 250, 000 in 2009 and 2010. The recent OECD (2014) report highlighted that 45% of Indian students abroad are enrolled in the United States, 17% in United Kingdom, 6% in Canada, and 5% in Australia. Indians spend about $6–7 billion every year in sending their children abroad for higher education as highlighted in the recent study of ASSOCHAM and TISS (The Economic Times, March, 13, 2015).

In the background of this scenario, present study was conducted to investigate how the decision making process of prospective Indian students differs according to the type and level of education. What factors influence Indian students ’choice of a particular country inreference to level of education.