International recruitment in India shows no signs of slowing down:
More than two million Indian students aspire to study abroad by 2025.
Yet, there is a gross imbalance between the lack of English testing centers and the number of students seeking to study abroad.
Digital English testing is a crucial enabler for test takers, particularly those living outside of urban areas.
Indian Students are Surging Abroad
The rise in the Indian middle-income class has fueled the popularity of studying abroad. According to the Leap-Ipsos Study Abroad Outlook Report 2022, the Indian overseas education market is projected to hit $100 billion by 2025. Indian students are seeking world-class education, to position themselves well for global career prospects with more lucrative compensation and benefit packages. Of students surveyed in the report, 83% believed that obtaining a foreign degree will improve their career success. With more than 2 million Indian students intending to pursue higher education internationally, the country is poised to overtake China as the leading sender of students studying abroad.
Source: Leap-Ipsos Report
Applicants are selecting schools based on educational reputation, cost of attendance, program offerings, and career prospects. However, as with many international populations, Indian students face challenges with expenses (particularly for universities in cities with a high cost of living), visa requirements, and complicated immigration processes. Consequently, the availability of financial aid or scholarships largely determine where students ultimately choose to study abroad.
Source: Leap-Ipsos Study Abroad Outlook Report 2022
Lack of Access to English Testing Centers
Per the Leap-Ipsos report, over 50% of Indian applicants still list English-speaking countries as their first choice for study abroad. In most English-speaking countries, an English proficiency test is mandatory for international students to be admitted to university programs.
The lack of access to traditional testing centers is a considerable challenge for students worldwide. Most English testing centers are concentrated in major metropolitan areas while 44% of the world’s population is located in rural areas.
But it isn’t only geography that limits access; since testing centers lack resilience in the face of conflict, natural disasters, and public health crises, they cannot effectively service the demand for appointments. This was certainly the case last year, when testing centers in Russia were shut down due to the invasion of Ukraine and was an ongoing problem during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020-2021.
In 2022, the Duolingo English Test (DET), a digital-first English proficiency test taken online, on-demand, conducted a research study to evaluate the availability of UK government-approved testing centers worldwide. These testing centers, officially named Secure English Language Test Centers (SELT centers), are currently the only way for students to fulfill the British government’s requirement to study, work, or live in the UK. According to the report, there are only 73 SELT centers in India, all of which are located in urban areas—yet the World Bank estimates that 65% of India’s population is rural. This breaks down to roughly one testing center per 6.6 million people living in a city, with an additional 900 million people who would have to travel often significant distances to an urban area to access a testing center.
Shockingly, given the dearth of testing centers in other critical international markets, some English test centers are forced to serve in excess of 20 million people. This is neither equitable nor sustainable for the centers nor the students they serve.
Source: Unlocking the Global Talent Pool
While traditional test providers tend to charge variable rates in each market, in 2021 students could expect to pay upwards of $200 for an in-person test. In many markets, this makes English proficiency testing cost prohibitive. For example, on average a student in India must pay over one months’ median family income just to take a standardized English test at a testing center. This is a significant financial sacrifice that many students and their families have been forced to make to fulfill their dream of studying abroad. Since the DET came onto the scene in 2016, a more affordable option–30% of the price of others on the market now exists to lower barriers to accessing international education.
Source: Unlocking the Global Talent Pool
Digital Language Testing as a Bridge, Not a Barrier
Technology now allows for robust, valid, and secure assessments of language proficiency to be administered digitally—COVID-19 lockdowns have only highlighted the value of technology in providing new and effective solutions in education. Digitization maximizes the accessibility of these high-stakes tests so that universities and governments can reach more international talent.
India is now the top market for the Duolingo English Test, with test takers growing 80% year-over-year in 2022. In 2022, prospective students took the DET from over 1,200 cities (and small towns) across India. Since the test can be taken anywhere there's a reliable internet connection, it is able to serve individuals in far more locations than traditional testing centers could — in turn, empowering more students to embark on their study abroad journey.
Duolingo’s largest test taker cities mirror the study abroad market in India, where the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat are leaders. In particular, Hyderabad and nearby areas show strong DET adoption correlating with the highest demand for studying in the US. Despite greater access to test centers in bigger cities, the DET also saw between 50-100% YoY growth in urban centers Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, and Chennai, where student study abroad selections are more diversified. This suggests that even when test center appointments are available, students may still prefer more accessible digital testing.
Source: Duolingo data 10-31-2021 to 9-30-2022
DET is a Crucial Enabler for Test Takers Living Outside Urban Areas
In addition to serving test takers in key metro areas, the DET is a crucial enabler for test takers outside of urban areas. These populations have a pressing need for a radically more accessible and affordable testing option. Duolingo is proud to offer an English proficiency test for a fraction of the cost of others, paving the way for a 100% YoY growth in non-metro areas such as Kochi, Nellore, Bharuch, Malappuram and Eluru–to name a few. Students from these smaller cities and towns would likely have a harder time reaching traditional test centers.
Source: Duolingo data 10-31-2021 to 9-30-2022
All eyes are on India and its remarkable growth in the international education space. With 57% of the Indian middle class hoping to study abroad in the next two years, there is no immediate sign of this study abroad trajectory slowing anytime soon. Digital English testing has a unique role to play in supporting India's study abroad growth; by enabling access to testing for those it would not be possible, it can be a bridge for students to achieve their international education goals.
The Duolingo English Test was founded in 2016 and is accepted by more than 4K universities and programs around the world. With a mission to use assessment technology to lower barriers and increase opportunities for English language learners everywhere, the DET is uniquely positioned to serve students into the future because of its radical accessibility and affordability. The organization is excited to partner with institutions and agents to support test takers in India and beyond.