Recently, UNESCO released its first Higher Education Global Trends Report. The report shows that the number of students enrolled in higher education worldwide has more than doubled over the past two decades, reaching 269 million in 2024. International mobility has tripled over the same period, with nearly 7.3 million students studying abroad, half of whom are hosted in European and North American countries. Women now outnumber men in higher education, but they remain underrepresented at the doctoral level. Significant geographical inequalities also persist, with lower enrolment and completion rates in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. The report includes new data from 146 countries and indicates that the number of students enrolled in higher education worldwide increased from approximately 100 million in 2000 to 269 million in 2024, accounting for 43% of the population of typical higher education age (18–24 years old). However, this growth masks stark regional disparities. While 80% of young people in Western Europe and North America are enrolled in higher education, the corresponding figures are 59% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 37% in the Arab States, 30% in South and West Asia, and only 9% in sub-Saharan Africa. The completion of studies has not kept pace with enrolment growth, with the global gross graduation ratio increasing only modestly from 22% in 2013 to 27% in 2024. The report also examines the financing of higher education. Data show that in 2022, average public expenditure on higher education (ISCED levels 5–8) amounted to approximately 0.8% of GDP globally. This average, however, conceals significant regional differences. Income level is also a key factor, with public spending ranging from below 0.3% of GDP in low-income countries to over 1.5% in high-income systems (UNESCO GEM Report, 2024). Governments in Western Europe and North America invest an average of 1.11% of GDP in higher education, supporting robust public systems. In East Asia and the Pacific, government expenditure on tertiary education averages 0.78% of GDP. Countries such as China and the Republic of Korea invest above the global average. At the same time, international student mobility has become an increasingly important topic in higher education, as mobility flows continue to rise worldwide, driving unprecedented levels of global exchange. According to the report, the number of students pursuing higher education abroad has more than tripled over the past two decades, rising from 2.1 million in 2000 to nearly 7.3 million in 2023. However, mobility benefits only 3% of the global student cohort, with substantial regional disparities. Looking at specific countries, nearly half of all internationally mobile students in 2023 came from just ten countries. China and India account for the largest shares of outbound international students, a trend projected to continue at least until 2030 (British Council, 2024b). In terms of destination countries, seven countries—the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Canada, the Russian Federation, and France—continue to host half of all international students. Countries such as Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates are becoming increasingly popular destinations. With mobility numbers increasing at least fivefold over the past decade, they are now closely trailing France. The report also highlights an important finding: women now outnumber men in higher education. Globally, there were 114 women enrolled in higher education for every 100 men in 2024. Gender parity has been achieved in all regions except sub-Saharan Africa. Central and Southern Asia have made remarkable progress, rising from 68 women enrolled per 100 men in 2000 to achieving gender parity in 2023. Nevertheless, women remain underrepresented at the doctoral level and hold only around one-quarter of senior leadership positions in academia.
Starting 8 April, Germany is set to roll out the German Graduate Trainee (GGT) programme, offering young German university graduates the opportunity to start their careers at the European Space Agency (ESA). The programme will first run as a three year pilot phase beginning in March 2026, accepting six trainees annually. Over a period of up to two years, participants holding a master’s degree will join ESA as German Graduate Trainees, exploring diverse areas such as Earth observation, space exploration, satellite communications, space law, industrial policy, and more. First unveiled by Germany’s Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Space, Dorothee Bär, at the ESA Ministerial Council in November 2025, the scheme aims to raise the number of German specialists in Europe’s space organisations and reinforce the country’s space expertise over the long term. Upon completion, graduates can move into roles in research, industry, or other sectors, where their ESA background and networks are expected to deliver lasting value. The German Space Agency at DLR is running the programme on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). Job postings will be available on the ESA careers website.
Recently, China's Ministry of Education, together with four other departments, issued the "AI + Education" Action Plan. The plan encourages higher education institutions, enterprises, and research institutes to participate in building the "AI + Education" ecosystem. It also calls for guiding state-owned and private long-term capital, patient capital, and strategic capital toward investment in educational technology innovation, thereby enabling more advanced technologies to serve human development. The highlights of this action plan are as follows: Achieving full-stage coverage of AI education. For example, in the higher education stage, efforts will be made to establish artificial intelligence as a public foundational course, promote cross-disciplinary AI innovation, and optimize and adjust the setting of academic disciplines and majors to meet the new demands for talent in the intelligent era.Promoting AI application across all scenarios. For instance, in scientific research, with a focus on fields such as natural sciences, engineering sciences, and philosophy and social sciences, the plan envisions building scientific AI agents and intelligent experimental clusters to explore paradigm shifts in AI-driven research.Providing comprehensive safeguards for the AI environment. At the foundational level, the state will lead the construction of an educational intelligent computing service platform, organize a national corpus of educational and research data, and develop specialized large models for education, thereby providing schools at all levels with high-quality computing power support, data services, model capabilities, and intelligent tools.Driving full-factor innovation in AI mechanisms. In research and innovation, for instance, the plan promotes interdisciplinary integration of education with psychology, brain science, and other fields, and establishes a collaborative innovation mechanism involving government, industry, academia, research, and finance to jointly cultivate high-quality educational intelligence products.To implement this action plan, China will increase investment and work with the National Development and Reform Commission to allocate central budgetary funds and "dual emphasis" funds for projects such as a national educational intelligent computing service platform, pilot test bases for AI (education) applications, and cross-disciplinary innovation platforms for AI disciplines, thereby strengthening the development foundation.
The Trump administration has released its 2027 budget proposal, calling for major cuts to US science agencies for the second consecutive year. The plan, unveiled on April 3, would propose cut to federal agencies that fund or conduct research in health, space, and the environment. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Environmental Protection Agency would each see their budgets fall by more than 50% in 2027 compared with current levels, while the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would face a 13% reduction. The proposal would defund the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and close three of the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers: the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Fogarty International Center, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. It would also ban federal spending on expensive journal subscriptions and high publishing fees, without defining those terms. While the White House says its budget proposal would maintain funding for quantum information and artificial intelligence research would be maintained “to ensure the United States remains on the cutting edge.” According to Alessandra Zimmermann of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the administration plans to increase applied research funding for those areas at the Departments of Defense and Energy. However, at the NSF, quantum and AI funding would be cut by 37% and 32%, respectively, from 2025 levels. Congress has final authority over federal spending. Last year, lawmakers rejected similar cuts. Budget negotiations could extend beyond the start of the 2027 fiscal year on October 1, with congressional elections scheduled for November 3.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly advance the "TechAccess: AI-Ready America" initiative, which aims to help American workers and businesses gain access to artificial intelligence knowledge, tools, and training. NSF will provide up to $224 million in funding to establish up to 56 state-level coordination hubs across the country to drive AI readiness. The program also involves the Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Administration. DOL has committed to connecting the coordination hubs with public workforce systems, including American Job Centers, Registered Apprenticeships, and other initiatives, to maximize the program’s impact. The collaboration also supports research on how AI is transforming labor markets and job requirements. Under the Memorandum of Understanding, both agencies will: •Collaborate on initiatives that equip American workers with the knowledge and skills to succeed in an AI-driven economy. •Support strategies that prepare workers for transitions and advancement opportunities created by AI adoption. •Conduct research on how AI is transforming labor markets, job requirements, and economic outcomes.
The University of Melbourne has welcomed the Australia–EU Free Trade Agreement, the establishment of an Australia–EU Security and Defence Partnership, and the commencement of negotiations to associate with Horizon Europe—the European Union’s flagship research and innovation funding programme. Europe is the world’s largest producer of research and development and is both Australia’s and the University of Melbourne’s leading international R&D collaborator. Horizon Europe facilitates global collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in addressing major global challenges. Australia and the University are well positioned to lead and participate in research consortia through Horizon Europe, building on strong networks of existing partnerships with research organisations and industries across Europe and other associate member countries. Association with Horizon Europe would provide Australian institutions access to an international, cross‑sectoral R&D funding pool worth €155 billion. The University was pleased to submit a proposal to the Australian Government last year in support of association under Horizon Europe Pillar II. The thematic research clusters within Pillar II align closely with Australia’s National Science and Research Priorities, the national innovation pillars outlined in the Ambitious Australia strategic examination of R&D, and the University’s developing Impact Accelerators, which include national security.
On March 16, the German Science Council announced that ten of the eleven institutions currently funded under the federal and state "Excellence Strategy" have been evaluated and received positive assessments. Starting January 1, 2027, the following institutions will receive funding for another seven years: RWTH Aachen University, the University of Bonn, the Berlin University Alliance (comprising Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Technische Universität Berlin), TU Dresden, Universität Hamburg, Heidelberg University, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), LMU Munich, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and the University of Tübingen. The University of Konstanz did not meet the minimum required number of Clusters of Excellence to continue funding. The decision was based on assessments by a Committee of Experts composed of international scientists and unanimously confirmed by the Excellence Commission. The commission includes the Committee of Experts and federal and state science ministers. To ensure transparency and support a learning science system, the Committee of Experts' evaluations of each University of Excellence published on the German Science Council website. The German Excellence Initiative (Exzellenzinitiative) is a program launched by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Research Foundation to promote top-level research and academic innovation at German universities. The program funds outstanding universities, supports exceptional young researchers, strengthens cooperation between university projects, and enhances collaboration with international institutions. In the first competition round in 2019, ten universities and one university consortium were selected for permanent funding under the "Universities of Excellence" line. To continue this funding, institutions must secure at least two Clusters of Excellence (three for consortia) and receive a positive evaluation every seven years. After the Excellence Commission selected 70 Clusters of Excellence in May 2025 to receive funding starting January 1, 2026, it became clear that ten of the eleven sites still met the funding requirements. The University of Konstanz did not meet the minimum number of Clusters of Excellence. For the 2027–2033 funding period, up to five additional Universities of Excellence or consortia can be funded through a science-driven selection process. In the first funding phase, total funding for this line was 148 million euros per year for eleven institutions. An additional 60 million euros will be available for up to 15 institutions. Individual funding amounts range from 10 to 15 million euros annually for single universities and 15 to 28 million euros annually for consortia. The exact total for the upcoming phase will be determined after the decision on up to five additional Universities of Excellence, expected this October.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to triple the number of Indian students in France to 30,000 by 2030. He made the commitment on 17 February during an official visit to India. Speaking directly to Indian students, Macron said France offers the opportunity to study entirely in English while paying lower tuition fees than in many English-speaking countries. More than 10,000 Indian students are currently enrolled in French higher education institutions, and the number has been rising steadily in recent years. To reach the 2030 target, France plans to expand English-taught programmes, simplify visa procedures for international students — including master’s and PhD candidates — and strengthen research collaboration and university partnerships between the two countries. The initiative also aims to create clearer pathways for internships, research placements and post-study employment. For Indian students seeking international exposure, European work experience and globally recognised degrees, France is positioning itself as a competitive alternative to traditional English-speaking destinations.
Illinois Institute of Technology will open a Mumbai campus in fall 2026, becoming the first U.S. university to award degrees in India through a physical site. The campus will offer STEM and business programs taught by international faculty, with a focus on practical skills, industry partnerships, and career readiness. Other foreign universities are also entering India. The University of Liverpool plans a Bengaluru campus by mid-2026, while Lancaster University has announced similar expansion. India’s higher education market is growing rapidly. Deloitte India and Knight Frank report that the country has 155 million people of higher-education age, projected to reach 165 million by 2030. Over the next 15 years, foreign universities could serve more than 560,000 students, reduce foreign exchange outflow by up to US$113 billion, and drive demand for 19 million square feet of education-related real estate. Mumbai is among the top destinations for international branch campuses.
The number of new international students in Canada fell sharply in 2025, according to a new report from Statistics Canada. Canada issued 177,600 fewer study visas in 2025 than in 2024. This marks a 61% decline in new international students. Between December 2023 and December 2025, the total number of international students in the country dropped from nearly one million to 721,230. That is a fall of 27.5%, or about 273,500 students. The decline follows federal government policy changes. Authorities reduced international student visas by 35% in 2024. A further 10% cut followed in 2025. Another 10% reduction is planned this year. Data from ApplyBoard, cited by NAFSA, shows Canada recorded the biggest drop in student interest among the “Big Four” English-speaking destinations. These include the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Interest declined across Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. The drop among Asian students was 4.8%. This is significant because students from China and India form the two largest international student groups in Canada. The sharp decline has created large budget deficits across Canada’s higher education sector. Colleges have been hit hardest.
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