Recent QS data suggesting around 8.5 million international students will study abroad by 2030. Meanwhile, infrastructure constraints in major source countries is pushing more students overseas, leading many countries to revise education and immigration policies to meet growing demand while introducing measures to ensure “genuine” students form part of their institutions’ international cohorts.
Here’s our pick of the non–big four countries (in no particular order) that have, over the past year, significantly increased or restricted international enrolments, introduced new policies for international students, and expanded transnational education (TNE) opportunities to support student growth in 2025.
Germany
Any list of emerging study destinations would be incomplete without Germany. According to DAAD, the Western European country currently hosts around 420,000 international students, with three-quarters of its universities reporting stable or rising numbers of newly enrolled international students.
Moreover, recent research shows that international students contribute significantly more to public finances than they receive, with around 80,000 students who began studying in 2022 expected to pay nearly €15.5 billion more in taxes and duties over their lifetimes than they receive in state benefits.
While concerns remain around visas, housing, living costs, language barriers and career prospects, stakeholders say Germany’s growing appeal is driven by its tuition-free universities, English-taught programs, focus on skills-based education, and its need to address labour shortages.
South Korea
South Korea’s rapid growth in international enrolments could position it as a big-four equivalent in Asia. This year, the country surpassed its target of 300,000 international students two years ahead of schedule. Over a third of international students came from Vietnam, followed by China, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Nepal — highlighting the country’s growing appeal across developing Asian markets.
The global rise of interest in Korean culture, alongside an increase in English-taught programmes, has driven interest in studying in South Korea, with American student numbers rising from 834 in 2002/03 to 5,909 in 2022/23. However, barriers to gaining employment remain a key concern for international students, as reported by The PIE.
While a survey last year of 805 international students found that over 90% hope to stay and work after graduation, more than two-thirds said securing the E-7 (Specially Designated Activities) visa was difficult due to restricted access to career opportunities, with stakeholders pointing to lingering biases and limited institutional support as key challenges.
France
France hosted nearly 445,000 international students in 2024/25 and is emerging as one of the most ambitious non–big four study destinations, positioning itself as an alternative to the US, as it sees declining enrolments and tighter international student policies.
Aiming to host 500,000 international students by 2027, France has been stepping up recruitment efforts in recent years. Several institutions, including leading business schools, have fast-tracked applications or extended deadlines for US-bound students and created pathways for researchers affected by the Trump administration’s crackdown on US universities, while reporting strong recruitment outcomes across Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Asia-Oceania.
In India, where France aims to attract 30,000 students by 2030, enrolments rose 17% over the past year, with initiatives such as Classes Internationales, alongside research collaborations and potential joint campuses, playing a key role in strengthening bilateral education and research ties.
Malaysia
Malaysia is emerging as a Southeast Asian hotspot for international education, targeting 250,000 international students by 2030 and recording a 26% rise in applications over the past two years.
While demand is growing from countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Japan, Nigeria and Egypt, the sharpest increase has come from China, with Chinese student numbers rising 25% year-on-year in 2024.
The country also benefits from one of the world’s most developed transnational education models, underscored by Monash University’s recently announced second campus — its largest-ever investment in Malaysia — focused on energy transition, health, AI and data science.
Ireland
The seven-million-strong country saw international enrolments reach an all-time high of over 40,000 students in 2023/24 and views international education as “very important”, as highlighted by Ireland’s minister for further and higher education, research, innovation and science, James Lawless, at The PIE Live Ireland 2025.
With UK universities adopting different policies for EU students, many have turned to Ireland, with the country’s tech-focused growth, industry-led learning, career opportunities and quality programs strengthening its appeal.
Although Ireland continues to position itself as welcoming for international students and expects numbers to grow, supported by initiatives such as Global Citizens 2030 and a new quality framework for English language schools, long study visa wait times, accommodation shortages and safety concerns remain key challenges.
Japan
Japan saw international enrolments rise to 336,708 students as of May 2024, signalling progress towards its target of hosting over 400,000 international students by 2033.
Nearly nine in 10 international students in Japan come from elsewhere in Asia — particularly China, Nepal, Vietnam, South Korea and Myanmar — with the Ministry of Education (MEXT) planning to raise enrolment caps at select universities by 5% from April 2026 to “encourage the recruitment of outstanding international students”.
Japan has also launched a new program to attract overseas researchers, allocating ¥3.3bn across 11 universities over the next three years to provide financial support.
While Japan is targeting over 15,000 students from India and more than 500,000 people-to-people exchanges over the next five years, its deteriorating relationship with China has affected educational travel, with both countries issuing safety advisories following comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on potential Chinese military action against Taiwan.
New Zealand
New Zealand is not a new entrant, having been a popular study destination even before the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, over the past year it has shifted its approach, launching the International Education: Going for Growth plan under its broader Going for Growth strategy. The plan aims to increase international student enrolments from 83,700 to 119,000 by 2034 and double the sector’s value from NZ$3.6bn (£1.60bn) to NZ$7.2bn (£3.20bn).
Education-related travel exports reached NZ$4.52bn in the year ending September 2025, while policy changes included increasing work rights for eligible study visa holders from 20 to 25 hours.
However, concerns remain around economic growth and rising outward migration, with unemployment reaching a near nine-year high of 5.3%, even as international students get ready to play a key role under the new tertiary education strategy.
Despite a slight dip in study visa applications, 2025 was largely positive, with approval rates rising 7% as of October 2025 and international student satisfaction remaining high at 87%, according to an Education New Zealand survey.
China
While China has long been one of the world’s largest student source countries, it is now aiming to become a major TNE hub, with joint campuses, programs and research partnerships at the core of its stratregy.
As interest in studying in the big four declines due to rising costs and the availability of closer alternatives, China has advanced its own internationalisation strategy over the past two years, focusing on academic exchanges, research cooperation and participation in global education governance.
In 2025, China further expanded its TNE push through a new regulatory framework easing restrictions, including lifting enrolment caps on joint education institutes and programs, allowing flexibility beyond the 4+0 model, speeding up approvals, and introducing an AI-driven “smart platform” to support international partnerships.
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been leading the Middle East in international student interest, with Keystone research data from August 2025 showing the country accounted for 59% of all MENA study destination searches on the platform, alongside a nearly 90% year-on-year increase in search interest in June 2025.
While India remains the largest source market, students from countries including Singapore, France, the US and Germany are also among the strongest audiences, with the UAE also positioning itself as a growing hub for Chinese students, particularly in Dubai.
The UAE’s most populous city continues to attract both international students and education providers, with nearly 40 new early years, K-12 and higher education institutions expected to have opened up during the recent academic year.
Kazakhstan
While Kazakhstan may be a surprise entrant on this list for some, its record in 2025 suggests otherwise. The Central Asian country saw over 35,000 international students enrol in its universities in the 2025 academic year, mainly from India, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China, and Russia.
Aiming to host 100,000 international students by 2028, Kazakhstan is increasingly being viewed as a more stable alternative to neighbouring Russia, whose conflict with Ukraine has led to its growing isolation on the global academic stage.
In recent years, particularly in 2025, the country has seen a sharp rise in higher education investment, and a growing number of international branch campuses. Institutions from countries including Türkiye, Russia, Italy, the UK, South Korea, and Germany have announced plans across major cities, adding to the existing tally of more than 20 international universities with campuses.
India
India is on track to become the world’s largest higher education ecosystem, with around 90 million students projected to be enrolled in universities across the country by 2035.
While India currently hosts anywhere between 50,000-70,000 international students and has the potential to attract 1.1 million by 2047 through a range of policies, there has been a nearly 6% drop in overseas university-level enrolments among Indian students, with study abroad remittances falling to their lowest level in eight years.
This does not mean interest in studying abroad has waned completely, with recent data suggesting that for every international student coming to India, nearly 28 Indians leave.
New policies such as greater regulatory freedom for top international universities to open campuses in India, efforts to attract Indian-origin and international faculty and researchers from abroad, and dedicated portals for study-abroad returnees signal the country’s aim to become a global education hub.
Moreover, major IITs, IIMs, and other private universities across India are also widening their outbound TNE ambitions, with campuses in Tanzania, the UAE, Singapore, Australia, and other countries.
Vietnam
While Vietnam has long been seen as a major source country, with its outbound student population at one point growing by around 15% annually, it is now also positioning itself as a key destination.
The country aims to raise the proportion of international students to 1.5%, improve the presence of Vietnamese universities in global and Asia rankings, and implement strategies to develop education, research, and innovation by 2030, with a vision to 2045.
Vietnam is already seeing a significant number of students from countries such as Laos, Cambodia, and China, and is planning part-time work rights for international students as numbers grow owing to the country’s relatively low costs, political stability, quality education options in Vietnamese and English, personal safety, and tropical climate.
Malta
The small and serene island country in southern Europe has seen a significant rise in international enrolments, increasing by 27% in just one year.
Indian students have recorded the biggest year-on-year increase at the tertiary level, followed by students from Nigeria, Libya, and Egypt, with high-quality English language qualifications, post-study work visa options, and other factors driving its slow yet sustained growth.
In the English Language Teaching (ELT) sector, Malta has seen one of the strongest post-pandemic booms in international students, albeit with slower growth. However, the sector has remained cautious, warning schools that widespread discounting could affect schools’ financial viability and education quality in the race to stay competitive.
Spain
Spain, which hosts over 100,000 international students, is another European destination to watch in 2026 as it looks to increase numbers, particularly amid stricter US rules for international students. The country approved a fast-track program, EduBridge to Spain, last year to support this push.
Cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia offer a significant number of English-taught programs, while international graduates can apply for a 12 month job-seeker residence permit that can lead to a full work permit once employment is secured. Students are also permitted to work up to 30 hours a week while studying, among the highest allowances globally.
Netherlands
The Netherlands was relatively restrictive towards international students in 2025, with the Dutch government moving ahead with plans to reduce overseas enrolments, introducing caps at five key universities across the Randstad region, potentially leading to countrywide economic losses of up to €5bn.
Although the government has previously walked back measures to restrict English-taught programs, international enrolments have still declined by 5%, alongside domestic enrolments, which stakeholders in the sector view as the result of heavy-handed policies.
Denmark
Following in the footsteps of the Netherlands, Denmark has also made headlines for introducing restrictions on the number of international students its universities can recruit, with several measures impacting students particularly from Bangladesh and Nepal.
Denmark has said it wants international students to come primarily for study purposes, amid concerns that some are using study visas as a “backdoor” to the labour market, citing challenges around academic and language levels, participation in unskilled work, and bringing family dependents.
For third-country (non-EU) students, Denmark has imposed stricter academic entry requirements, restrictions on spouses, national reviews of forged documents, and shorter post-study work permits.
