New data comparing online search demand in late 2025 and early 2026 has actually revealed declining demand for master’s degrees in the US, UK and Canada, while New Zealand, India and Sweden recorded soaring development in relative demand.
Along with the continued expanding of search beyond the ‘big 4’, the figures from Keystone Education Group reveal rising interest in regional and regional choices.
“The second-fastest growing destination in search is India, and we understand that a lot of this is driven by Indian trainees themselves,” stated Mark Bennett, Keystone’s VP of research study and insight.
“It’s a surprise, however possibly it shouldn’t remain in a world in which conventional ‘source’ nations are keen to keep skill within their own college systems, where TNE is more of a strategic focus and, naturally, where policy and monetary barriers impede traditional study abroad journeys.”
Source: FindAMasters, Keystone Education Group
. Significantly, the above search data omits search from domestic trainees. It is drawn from over 350,000 overall searches in each period.
The striking growth in interest for New Zealand reveals audiences are detecting the country’s continual positive messaging around global education and post-study work, said Bennett, with the federal government set to release a new graduate work visa later on this year.
For Indian students particularly, interest in India increased by a tremendous 94% while the UK held constant with a modest 2% increase.
The image was more made complex for Canada (-6%), the US (-37%) and Australia (-42%), with substantial drops in the latter 2 destinations reflecting policy turbulence and decreasing visa approvals hindering US and Australian deals.
In the United States, the information reinforces current figures from IIE’s 2026 spring picture, which found that 61% of American colleges taped a fall in Indian applications for the 2026/27 academic year.
Experts have stated visa unpredictability is driving the pattern, with United States research study visa issuance to Indian trainees plunging by 62% in 2015.
Meanwhile, Indian trainees are particularly sensitive to modifications to post-study work chances, with Bennett highlighting the impact of ongoing uncertainty over Optional Practical Training (OPT) on the appeal of the United States.
Indian trainees, who comprised almost one third of America’s overall worldwide trainee body in 2024/25, consisted of just under half of all OPT participants.
Traditional’ source ‘countries are keen to keep skill within their own college systems
Mark Bennett, Keystone Education Group
Elsewhere, Bennett stated the 4% demand drop for the UK was likely due to the federal government’s reducing of the graduate path and “ongoing stories of visa rejections and withdrawals”.
It comes as UK home workplace data saw the worst May of the post-Covid duration for research study visa issuance, with the number of visas issued in Q1 2026 down by nearly a third compared to the previous year.
On the other hand, regardless of a decline in Indian trainee interest in Australia, total demand for the location grew after a “bad” 2025, said Bennett, while interest in Canada steadied off.
The introduction of India as an education center instead of sole sending out market has actually been driven by the government’s National Education Policy 2020, unlocking to an influx of branch schools and TNE endeavors in the country.
Last week, Prime Minister Naarendra Modi went to Australia as it was revealed that Flinders University would become the current to open a branch campus in Bengaluru, India.
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