TOEFL is eyeing smaller towns to open new test centres as Indian students increasingly choose a wider range of overseas study destinations beyond the traditional “Big Four” of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
“Indian student mobility is gradually evolving from a ‘Big Four’ to a broader ‘Big 14’ landscape. The U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia continue to be the most established and desirable destinations, supported by globally recognised institutions, strong alumni networks and well-developed international education ecosystems. At the same time, Indian students are increasingly adding Germany, France, Ireland, New Zealand, the UAE, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Spain, and even Bangladesh to their consideration set,” Karan Lalit, Executive Director, TOEFL, GRE, and ETS in India and South Asia, said.
According to data shared by TOEFL, Canada has the largest number of Indian students at 4.27 lakh, followed by 3.37 lakh in the United States, 1.85 lakh in the United Kingdom, and 1.22 lakh in Australia. More than 43,000 Indian students are also studying in Germany, 25,000 in the UAE, 24,000 in Russia, 16,000 each in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia, nearly 10,000 each in France, Kazakhstan, and the Philippines, and around 8,500 in China and Bangladesh.
Mr. Lalit attributed the trend to growing aspirations among students from smaller towns who are looking for affordable education abroad along with better employment prospects.
“Catering students in ‘big 14’ countries from the traditional ‘big 4’ is precisely not a decline in their aspirations. Rather, students today have access to a wider range of credible international options and are evaluating destinations more carefully on affordability, visa predictability, post-study work opportunities, employability and return on investment. The trend reflects a more informed and diversified decision-making process, with students keeping multiple destinations open instead of relying on a fixed set of traditional choices. The students from smaller towns are also coming forward to pursue higher education in abroad,” he added.
As overseas education continues to expand beyond India’s metropolitan centres, students across the country are also looking for greater access to credible admissions support and official test preparation resources.
Responding to this growing demand, ETS, the organisation behind the globally recognised TOEFL and GRE tests, has announced a strategic partnership with Crizac Limited to expand access to authorised TOEFL and GRE preparation resources for more than a million study abroad aspirants across India.
Leveraging Crizac’s global ecosystem of more than 14,000 student recruitment partners working with more than 500 universities across 85 countries, the collaboration is expected to expand access to official ETS preparation resources for Indian students pursuing higher education abroad.
“As students move beyond a handful of traditional study destinations to explore a wider range of global opportunities, demand for trusted counselling, official preparation resources, and globally accepted assessments is growing rapidly, particularly across Tier II and Tier III cities. TOEFL’s English assessment test is currently accepted in more than 13,000 institutions across 160 countries. We have 65 test centres in India. As part of this partnership with Crizac, we are now eyeing to increase this number to 100 by 2027. We are reviewing the possible opportunities for this expansion, particularly in smaller towns,” Mr. Lalit said.
For example, he said TOEFL is planning a centre in West Bengal’s Purulia, while its three existing test centres in the State are located only in Kolkata.
“At Crizac, we believe talent should never be limited by access. Our partnership with ETS brings authorised TOEFL and GRE preparation resources to Indian students, backed by a shared commitment to scholarships and financial support for those who need it most. Nearly a lakh students stand to benefit, and for us, that’s a lakh stories of ambition we get to support. This latest expansion plan with TOEFL will further strengthen access to its globally recognised assessments nationwide. Complementing this expansion, ETS will further strengthen its presence in eastern India,” Dr. Vikash Agarwal, Chairman and Managing Director, Crizac Limited, said.
Published – July 16, 2026 07:44 pm IST
