Emerging Study Abroad Destinations to Watch

Historic campus buildings at Am Neuen Palais, Potsdam, Germany

Countries outside the main 17 destinations, worth watching for how they’re investing in international students. These are sourced, but not checked every 3 hours the way the main comparator is — treat them as a starting point for your own research, not a verified rule.

  • 🇳🇿

    New 6-month work visa for graduates opens 16 November 2026

    From 16 November 2026, international students who complete a qualification at New Zealand’s Level 5 to 7 (diploma to bachelor’s level), studied full-time in New Zealand for at least 24 weeks, can apply for a Short-Term Graduate Work Visa if their qualification does not lead to the longer Post-Study Work Visa. It gives 6 months of open work rights to look for a job, must be applied for within 3 months of the student visa ending, and requires at least NZ$5,000 to live on. Holders cannot use it to bring a partner or children.

    Source: Immigration New Zealand ↗ · from 16 Nov 2026
  • 🇺🇿

    Up to 500 state-funded bachelor’s places a year for foreign students

    A presidential decree of 10 April 2026 creates the “New Uzbekistan Scholarship”: each year, up to 500 gifted foreign students can receive a grant covering tuition plus a special stipend for a bachelor’s degree at a public university, using state-funded places that were not filled. From the 2026–27 academic year, foreign students can also apply to universities through a new “Study in Uzbekistan” platform.

  • 🇹🇷

    Scholarship applications hit a record high

    Türkiye Scholarships received nearly 200,000 applications in 2026, up from about 10,000 when the program launched in 2012 — a roughly 20x increase in just over a decade.

  • 🇰🇿

    Building itself into a regional education hub

    Hosted 35,075 international students in 2025–26, up 11% year over year. Its Bolashak government scholarship saw applications rise 17.3% to 16,098 (from 71 countries) while awards held flat at 550. In 2026, it granted its first-ever scholarships to students from the US, Italy, and Germany.

  • 🇦🇪

    Dubai targets 50% more international students by 2033

    Dubai’s “Education 33” strategy, launched in November 2024, aims to grow international student numbers by 50% and move the city from 72nd into the world’s Top 10 student cities.