The cheapest degree abroad may not be in English and Indian students are finally figuring that out
Indian students are shifting their focus to European and Japanese universities. This trend is driven by lower tuition fees and the necessity of language proficiency. German and French are leading the way, with Japanese also gaining traction. Lan...
For a growing number of Indian students, the path to a foreign university now runs through a language classroom. German B2, French DELF, Japanese JLPT certificates that once sat at the bottom of an application file are now being planned for in Class 11 or the first year of college. The shift is deliberate, and driven less by cultural curiosity than by calculation.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs data cited by ICEF Monitor, an international education industry intelligence platform, more than 1.2 million Indian students were enrolled in higher education abroad in 2025, a 5.7% decline from 1.33 million in 2024, which itself was nearly 15% lower than 2023.
The steepest fall has been in Canada, where Indian study permit holders dropped from 533,305 in 2023 to 510,235 in 2024 according to Canadian immigration data, with 2025 numbers expected to show a far sharper decline. Between January and August 2025, only 9,955 new study permits were issued to Indian students, compared with 149,875 in the same period in 2023.
In the United Kingdom, sponsored study visa issuances fell 14% overall in 2024, with Indian student visas declining 26%, according to UK Home Office data.
As the traditional anglophone corridor narrows, students and counsellors are rerouting towards Europe and Japan, destinations where public universities charge minimal or no tuition, but where language is the gate.
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The numbers behind the pivot
The number of Indian students in Germany has more than doubled in five years, rising from 28,905 in 2020 to 59,419 in the 2024-25 winter semester, according to DAAD India, the Indian office of the German Academic Exchange Service, Germany's government-funded organisation for international academic cooperation.
The pivot Indians are now the largest group of international students in the country for the second consecutive year.
France is moving in the same direction. French President Emmanuel Macron announced during his visit to India in February 2026 that France aims to welcome 30,000 Indian students by 2030, reaffirming a target first set in 2023, according to an official release from the French Embassy. Indian enrolments in French universities grew 17% in 2024-25 over the previous year to reach 9,100 students, according to ICEF Monitor.
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These numbers have a direct consequence for how students prepare. "I would not call it a cosmetic addition to the profile anymore," says Anirudh Pratap Singh, Study Abroad Consultant. "For many students, language learning has become part of the admissions plan from Class 11, Class 12, or the first year of college itself. Earlier, students would ask about language after admission. Now many ask whether language can improve their admission or career chances before they even shortlist universities."
German and French lead, Japanese is gaining
In counselling conversations, German is the most in-demand foreign language for students targeting Europe. The reason is structural. According to DAAD's official requirements page, the language of instruction for most programmes at German higher education institutions is German, and most institutions require proof of German language skills at a minimum of B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, to be demonstrated through a language certificate or an on-site test.
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French is the second most sought-after language. According to Campus France's official higher education guidance, a B1 or B2 level is recommended for undergraduate and Master's study in France, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, with B2 required for admission to the first year under the DAP (demande d'admission préalable) process.
Japanese is more niche but rising. According to the official Study in Japan website, operated by the Japanese government, students seeking admission to a Japanese university or junior college programme taught in Japanese must have passed the N1 or N2 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and scored at least 250 points on the Japanese section of the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students.
Praneet Singh, VP for University Partnerships at upGrad Study Abroad, says the intentionality of language choices is primarily destination-driven. "Students are choosing languages based on where they want to study and eventually work. Germany's 'Study and Work in Germany' positioning and France's active internationalisation strategy have directly influenced language learning patterns among Indian students."
Is a B2 worth 18 months?
The question counselors are increasingly being asked is whether six to eighteen months of language preparation makes more strategic sense than chasing a marginal IELTS or GRE improvement.
"IELTS is still essential for English-taught programmes, but IELTS is usually a qualifying test. Once a student reaches the required band, another small improvement may not change the outcome significantly," says Anirudh Pratap Singh. "Language learning, on the other hand, can open an entirely different set of universities and programmes. A student with German B2 or French B2 can consider local language options, internships, and employment routes that are simply not available otherwise."
Adarsh Khandelwal, Co-Founder and Director, Collegify, frames it more sharply: "B2 is not the new GRE. It is the new proof of seriousness. GRE tells a university that a student can handle the classroom. B2 tells them the student is preparing to belong in the country."
Khandelwal adds that the conversation in counselling has shifted qualitatively: "Earlier, families would ask, 'Should my child take IELTS or SAT?' Now, for Europe, they increasingly ask, 'Will German B2 or French B1/B2 help with admissions, internships, scholarships, or jobs?' That shift itself is important."
The big picture Anil Kapasi, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Arihant Academy Limited, notes that language certificates carry weight beyond admission eligibility. "Obtaining a B2 or C1 certificate makes a student more attractive to employers since it demonstrates real commitment to their studies and readiness to adapt to life in another country."
Karan Lalit, Executive Director for South Asia at ETS, which administers the TOEFL and GRE, says language certifications are increasingly being seen as complementary to English proficiency credentials rather than substitutes. "Many students see language learning as a practical way to strengthen their overall international profile and improve their confidence before studying overseas," he said. "Intermediate and advanced proficiency levels such as B2 and C1 are increasingly recognised as valuable beyond language-medium programmes, particularly as students look to strengthen their competitiveness in local job markets and internship environments during their studies."
Not a metro phenomenon anymore
The trend is no longer concentrated in cities with established language institutes. While metro students still have easier access to the Goethe-Institut, Alliance Française, and Instituto Cervantes, online instruction has changed the geography of preparation.
The most concrete signal that this has moved beyond elite urban aspiration is institutional. In September 2025, the English and Foreign Languages University signed a memorandum of understanding with the Telangana government's Health and Medical Department to train nursing students in German and Japanese up to the JLPT N3 level, according to a press release from the university. The programme is aimed at boosting employability in Germany and Japan, where demand for nurses is high.
Anirudh Pratap Singh points to this as a significant marker: "That is language learning moving from metro aspiration to employability planning. The trend is now visible in Kochi, Jaipur, Indore, Nagpur, Surat, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, and many nursing and engineering education hubs."
A certificate is not a strategy
Counsellors are careful to draw a distinction between targeted language preparation and profile-padding. A German B2 aligned with an actual German-taught engineering programme at a public university changes an applicant's shortlist entirely. The same certificate attached to a US master's application changes almost nothing.
"It genuinely strengthens an application only when it is relevant to the programme, country, or career pathway," says Anirudh. "A random certificate does not transform an application. A targeted B2, C1, or JLPT level, connected to a real admissions requirement, can change the entire shortlist."
The arithmetic is not complicated. For students who have already cleared the IELTS band required for an English-taught programme, the marginal return on further test preparation is limited. For a student looking at Germany's public university system, where tuition at state institutions is largely nominal, a B2 certificate is the difference between access and a closed door.
