Don’t let Australia’s proposed limit for international students affect your study abroad plans, consider these three alternatives

Australia is not only known worldwide for its natural landscapes, wildlife or the Opera House in Sydney, but is also a favorite destination among international students who want to study abroad, especially those from India.

According to the data shared by the High Commission of India in Canberra, India is the second largest source country for international student enrollments in Australia. It was further pointed out that a total of 1,22,391 Indian students studied in Australia during January-September 2023.

Also read: The top Swiss technical university ETH Zurich is applying stricter measures for Chinese students

However, traveling to Australia for academic purposes may not be an easy process for international students in the future as the country plans to limit the number of foreign students to 270,000 by 2025 as part of its crackdown on migration. Under the proposed law, the Australian government plans to return the number of new international students in higher education and vocational training to pre-pandemic levels, a Bloomberg report cited.

Considering the circumstances, it is advisable that Indian students also consider alternatives to Australia if they plan to study abroad and pursue a degree of their choice. In this article, we will look at some other countries in the Asia-Pacific region that are home to top-ranked universities according to the recently released Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025.

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China

One of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region that boasts of high-ranking institutions is China. Two of the most popular universities in China are as follows:

• Tsinghua University is ranked 12th among the best universities in the world according to THE World University Rankings 2025. Tsinghua University’s overall score is 92.5.
• Peking University is ranked the 13th best university in the world according to THE World University Rankings 2025. Perking University, located in Beijing, has an overall THE score of 92.

Japan

Another country with top universities is Japan, which is fast becoming one of the top destinations for students, especially from India, not only because of its proximity but also because of the simplicity of the country’s visa policy. The best universities in Japan include:

• The University of Tokyo is ranked 28th and achieved an overall score of 83.3 in THE World University Rankings 2025. The university offers several courses across academic disciplines for both undergraduate and graduate students.
• Kyoto University, touted as one of the oldest educational institutions in Japan, achieved a ranking of 55 and scored 75.2 in THE World University Rankings 2025.

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South Korea

South Korea has also become a popular study abroad destination. In addition to its high-tech infrastructure, the country is also home to some of the best educational institutions. These are as follows:

• Seoul National University, located in Gwanak, Seoul, is ranked 62nd among the best universities in the world according to THE. The university has a total score of 73.5.
• Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), located in Daejeon, is touted as South Korea’s first public, research-oriented science and engineering institution. It is ranked 82nd in the THE World University Rankings 2025 with an overall score of 82.