Pathways to Internationalization in Indian Higher Education: Reflections on Policy Options

Higher education regime has experienced substantial transformation from the last couple of decades ranging from the adjustment in the domestic education sector to the internationalization. There is a demand all across the globe to reform the education system in general and higher education in particular to make it competitive all across the globe, and India is not an exception. Internationalization of Indian higher education is a top priority for Indian policymakers and education providers. Ample amount of initiatives has been taken by policymakers and education agencies to promote the internationalization of Indian higher education with the aim to position Indian higher education globally, but unfortunately, the situation is not satisfactory. The number of Indian institutions which represent the country at the global level is minuscule. In this context, this paper visits the drivers of internationalization of higher education and in the part that follows discusses the prevalent pathways to internationalization with a detailed analysis of student mobility. The paper also identifies and comprehends the prime concern of imbalanced student mobility leading towards revenue and human capital flow. The input provided through this study will provide implications to the Indian higher education system through which outbound mobility of students can be reduced. Different strategies have been proposed for increasing the inbound mobility of students.