What influences a student’s decision to study in a particular region? Is it proximity, reputation, or emerging education hubs? With India’s diverse education landscape, understanding student mobility dynamics can offer valuable insights for institutions looking to attract the right talent.
The Power of Regional Retention
Meritto’s Enrollment Index 2025 highlights a clear trend—students overwhelmingly prefer institutions within their home regions. Major zones like North, South, and West retain over 80% of their students. This suggests that factors such as accessibility, family influence, and strong local education ecosystems play a significant role in student choices.
However, not all regions follow this pattern. The Central Zone, for instance, retains only 65.69% of its students while attracting notable inflows from the North (15.46%) and West (15.01%). This indicates a potential shift, with students looking beyond traditional education strongholds toward emerging institutions in developing zones.
State-wise Mobility: Who’s Moving Where?
While regional patterns provide a broad view, a closer look at state-level mobility uncovers even more interesting trends. For example:
- Maharashtra and Odisha emerge as strong education hubs, attracting significant inflows while maintaining a high level of student retention.
- Uttar Pradesh and Bihar exhibit high outbound mobility, indicating a demand-supply gap in local higher education infrastructure.
- The East-to-North migration (26.11%) and Central-to-North shift (15.46%) highlight key corridors where institutions can tailor recruitment strategies to meet demand.
Opportunities for Institutions
For universities and colleges, these insights offer a roadmap to refine their enrollment strategies. Institutions in high-retention zones can focus on strengthening local outreach and partnerships, while those in high-outflow states can develop targeted marketing and scholarship programs to retain talent. Moreover, understanding mobility corridors can help institutions tailor cross-regional campaigns to attract students seeking better education opportunities.
Read the Full Index
Student mobility patterns aren’t just about movement—they reflect broader trends in education accessibility, quality, and aspirational shifts. By leveraging data-driven insights, institutions can adapt their strategies to attract and retain students more effectively. Want to dive deeper? Read the full Meritto Enrollment Index 2025 to unlock more insights. To know what we do at Meritto & how our innovative solutions can help you to adapt to the fast-changing trends that drive enrollments across India, contact us today!
