Perceptions of International Students in Indian Higher Education Campuses

Abstract

The global competition for international students has fuelled the need for education providers to become more consumer oriented in their planning. Our purpose with this study was to understand international student perceptions and discuss corresponding approaches. In this qualitative study we interviewed twenty international students enrolled in two Indian universities to examine: one, their feelings about being an international student in India and two, what attracted them to India as a higher education destination. Our findings suggest that, the people on campus and in the host city are vital to delivering experiences. We identified “quality of education,” “cultural diversity” and the “rapidly growing economy” as the most noteworthy among several factors that have motivated the selection of India as a host country. We discuss the findings through different conceptual lenses and implications for managers have been presented. This research acts as market intelligence input to the Indian HE policy makers and university leaders.