India, Nov. 12 -- For decades, an Indian student going abroad to study was likely to end up in the US, the UK, Canada or Australia. That map is being redrawn, VFS Global founder Zubin Karkaria said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on Thursday.

"Traditionally, the students always travelled to the US, Canada, Australia, UK. And now what we are seeing is a shift to Europe," Karkaria said. "There's a growth of students travelling to Europe by almost 70% every year."

Germany, Austria, Spain and France are among the countries drawing them. And the biggest shift is in who makes the decision. A few decades ago, parents and families chose the country and the university. "Now the students have become very discerning. They want to see what...