Germany and Ireland emerge as preferred destinations for higher education for Indian students

Even as Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) is accepted in thousands of institutions around the world, Germany and Ireland are gaining prominence as higher education destinations among Indian students.

In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Karan Lalit, Executive Director, South Asia, TOEFL and Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), said, “Most Indian students aspiring to study abroad have been opting for Germany and Ireland institutions in the past two years rather than the USA, the UK, Canada and Australia, that were traditionally chosen by many.

This is what the data reveals.” “According to Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst or German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which is the world’s largest funding organisation for international exchange of students in Germany, the number of Indian students enrolled in German universities reached 69,816 in the winter semester of 2025–26, marking a 17.5% year-on-year increase.

Similarly, Ireland recorded approximately 9,175 Indian student enrolments in 2024–25, accounting for 20.6% of its non-Irish- domiciled student cohort,” he explained. The TOEFL iBT test is accepted by institutions in both Germany and Ireland and is recognised by more than 13,500 institutions across over 160 countries worldwide, offering students greater flexibility to explore higher education opportunities across multiple destinations.

When asked about the number of students travelling to Germany from Karnataka, he said, “Out of more than 60,000 students who are going to Germany, 12,000 students – which is 20% – are from Karnataka.” The reason why most students from Karnataka are choosing Germany and Ireland is not just VISA policies, but Return On Investment factor.

“Now, most of the English tests are not accepted in Germany except TOEFL. Students are looking for ROI factor as they borrow loans from bank or their parents invest lakhs in higher education to study abroad. Additionally, Germany offers world-class engineering technology.

There is an 18-month post-study work right that students get,” he explained. He also noted that students, especially from Bengaluru, who have their own start-up ideas choose Germany. “Both Germany and Ireland work as apt destinations, especially when the US is not accepting a lot of students.

Students who want to study healthcare or social sciences are choosing Ireland. The benefit is similar to Germany, with 18 months of work opportunity post graduation.” While the comparable data on the university rejection rates for Indian students across the USA, the UK, Canada and Australia are not available in a consistent format, Mr.

Lalit maintained that the university application outcomes depend on several factors, not just language assessments. “These include academic performance, programme requirements and institutional selection criteria. Standardised assessments, advance planning and guidance from trusted overseas education counsellors can help students understand admission requirements, evaluate their options and prepare stronger applications.

Visa decisions are a separate process and should not be conflated with university admission outcomes,” he said, adding, “Even if I want to go to the US, either there are no slots available or the VISA rejection rates have actually gone up.” Karan Lalit highlighted how TOEFL underwent a lot of changes in January 2026, to make it more Gen-Z focused.

“We want to make sure that TOEFL holds its credibility with the universities abroad. The duration of the test is 90 minutes now, down from 180 minutes earlier. The format of the test has changed, too. There are four skills required to succeed in TOEFL test which is reading, writing, listening and speaking.

The questions framed are simpler, more Gen Z-focused and more adaptive in nature. So we call it Multi-Stage adaptive Test (MST).” The result that was earlier released in 7 to 10 days, now takes only 72 hours. There are also 21 full-length mock tests comprising 3,000 practise questions offered to students at a nominal price of $5.