As Restrictions Grow Elsewhere, Some Indian Students Look At Italy As An Alternate Study Abroad Destination

With countries like Australia, Canada, and the UK tightening their policies and imposing restrictions on international students, Indian students are finding a new, unexpected pick for higher education: Italy. According to data from Uni Italia, the official centre promoting Italian higher education, around 10,000 Indian students are now enrolled in institutions across Italy in 2023. Of them, more than 2,000 students were from Delhi alone.

Breaking down the data shows about 28% of these students attend private schools and AFAM (Alta Formazione Artistica e Musicale), while the remaining 72% are studying at public universities. With 38% of enrolments, master’s degree programmes are the most popular among Indian students. First-level master's courses follow at 34%, and three-year degree programs account for about 20%.

Why Italy?

Indian student Barnabh Chandra Goswami, an Electronic Engineering student specialising in embedded systems at Politecnico di Torino University, shared his views on this growing trend. “I will say Indian students in Europe are not increasing dramatically; rather, the number is growing gradually,” he explained. “This trend may be related to the quality of infrastructure and facilities available, as education standards are relatively consistent across different regions.”

Goswami also shed light on the financial aspect of studying in Europe. “Many European countries offer affordable tuition fees and scholarship programmes, which means students primarily need to manage their living expenses,” he said. He explained that a student pursuing a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering at Politecnico di Torino in Italy would pay approximately Rs. 4-5 lakhs for the entire two-year programme if they do not receive any scholarships. However, if they obtain a scholarship, they could receive around Rs. 7-8 lakhs, depending on the type of scholarship.

Venkatesh Kannan, who recently earned a master’s degree in Automotive Engineering from the same university, offered another perspective. “The increase in Indian students may be due to the unemployment rate in India. In Italy, there are many benefits, like the fact that they see the knowledge you have, not just the scores you got in undergrad.” he pointed out.

Aniket, a Computer Engineering student, added, “I feel the increase in knowledge about how highly perceived Italian universities are and their education is one of the major reasons why students move to Italy, also considering the fact that there are several scholarships up for grabs.”

Most Indian students studying in Italy come from central-southern regions, such as Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. Recently, there has also been a notable increase in students from West Bengal, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab, as per the data shared by Uni-Italia.

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What makes Italy stand out?

One of the key factors influencing this growing trend, according to Goswami, is the convenience of the Schengen Visa, which allows students to travel between neighbouring European countries. "The Schengen Visa allows for travel between neighbouring European countries, similar to traveling between states in India," he said. The Erasmus exchange program is another factor as it allows international students enrolled in participating Italian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to study in these neighbouring countries for a semester or entire academic year.

Italian institutions, along with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in New Delhi and Mumbai, the Italian Trade Agency, and Uni Italia, are working hard to attract more Indian students as part of a larger effort to strengthen ties between India and Italy. The third edition of IDOHE — Italian Days on Higher Education, the exclusive annual study fair organised by Uni-Italia, is scheduled for October 18 and 21 respectively in New Delhi and Bengaluru. At IDOHE, aspiring students, parents, and faculty from Indian colleges seeking to understand more about Italy as a study destination will have the rare opportunity to interact directly with representatives from top Italian Institutes.

Challenges faced by students

Despite many benefits, studying in Italy does not come without its challenges. Language is one of the several problems that students confront when studying in Italy. “Communication was tough at first, especially with locals and friends,” Kannan shared. Goswami echoed the same sentiment, adding that the psychological and emotional adjustment of moving to a new environment can also be difficult.

Aniket and Kannan both mentioned the difficulties of eating out as vegetarians. “I had to stick to familiar menus to avoid problems,” Kannan said. “But learning the language has helped me a lot.”

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Career prospects

Students have mixed opinions about how studying in Italy will affect their future careers. Goswami pointed out that while educational standards are equivalent to the US and UK, Europe’s diverse languages can open up more opportunities. Additionally, for him, the lower living and educational costs were more appealing.

Kannan, however, raised concerns about the job market. “The job opportunities in Italy are somewhat limited due to a global recession, but there are many opportunities in fields like automotive engineering,” he said. “I may consider moving to other European countries like Germany or Sweden for better prospects. In India, I would consider moving back after gaining experience in Italy to pursue higher-ranking job roles.”

Aniket added that studying in Italy offers similar career prospects to India. “The more you work and focus on skill development, the better your career will be. It is important to keep improving skills and building a solid profile,” he said.

Despite these challenges, Italy is increasingly becoming an appealing choice for Indian students with available scholarships, inexpensive quality education, and because it offers a chance to fully immerse themselves in a different culture.