As Ukraine war grinds on, Georgia new hub for Indian medical students

This rise, the LRS data shows, has come largely at Ukraine’s expense, with Indian remittances for education there dropping from $14.80 million in 2018-19 to just $2.40 million in 2024-25.

In the years before the war, Indian remittances for education in Ukraine were rising. In fact, Ukraine was among the top 10 destinations for Indian students in 2020-21 and 2021-22, when remittances touched $39.12 million. This fell sharply to about $10.6 million in 2022-23, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The same year, 2022-23, Georgia entered the list of top 15 countries to which Indians sent money for education abroad — ranking 14th, a significant jump from its 21st position in 2018-19. The country has since moved up to the 12th place.

According to data submitted in Parliament in December last year on the number of Indians who disclosed their purpose as ‘study/education’ while going abroad, there were 4,148 such Indians who went to Georgia in 2019. This number rose to 10,470 in 2023.

According to Foreign education consultants, Georgia was already popular for medical and paramedical courses such as physiotherapy, but it gained substantially after the war began as students avoided Ukraine and those already enrolled in medical courses there sought transfers to universities in Georgia. The LRS data shows that in 2024-25, even as overall Indian remittances for education fell, Georgia recorded a 19% increase over the previous year’s $42.38 million.

Pratibha Jain, CEO of Eduabroad Consulting, said, “Georgia has been popular for its medical courses. It was quite popular even before the war because of its proximity to Europe, and because it was very cost effective. Their laws for residency are simple, and medical graduates can consider living and working there.”

Jain, however, pointed out that Russia remains a popular country for students pursuing medical courses, though some might choose to stay away from cities close to the border with Ukraine.

The LRS data shows that Indian spending on education in Russia hit $69.94 million in 2024-25, a 200% rise from $22.48 million in 2023-24. In fact, barring 2022-23, when the number dipped to $16.36 million, Indian spending on education in Russia has seen an upwards trajectory since 2018-19 ($14.82 million).

Russia’s rank among the list of destinations for Indian students has also been getting better:  from 23rd in 2018-19 to 11th in 2024-25.

How other countries fared in 2024-25

Data submitted in Parliament last year showed that Canada, the USA, UK, Australia, and Germany were the top five countries for Indian students pursuing higher education.

In 2024-25, remittances for education in the USA — the top country for Indian spending on education — saw a 10% drop compared to 2023-24.

Among the top five countries, Canada saw the sharpest drop of around 43% compared to 2023-24, while Australia recorded a 5% drop. In contrast, the UK saw a 12% increase, while Germany saw a sharp 70% rise.

The RBI’s LRS allows Indian residents to remit funds abroad up to an amount of $2,50,000 per financial year.