Earlier, only talented students would go abroad for studies by receiving scholarships, with the expenses being borne by those countries or universities.
However, now many parents are sending their children to study abroad at their own expense. The majority of students are pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
Some are even moving abroad for secondary and higher secondary levels.
As a result, the cost of education abroad is increasing day by day. The entire cost of education abroad has to be met in various foreign currencies. It's now easier than before to send education expenses abroad.
Analysing recent data from Bangladesh Bank, it is found that the amount of money spent from Bangladesh on education abroad has more than doubled in the last five years.
In the outgoing fiscal year 2025-26, 881. 7 million dollars were spent in the education sector abroad, which amounts to Tk 109. 33 billion.
Previously, students would mostly go to universities in Europe and America. Now, South Korea, Malaysia, and China have also joined that list.
Former advisor to the caretaker government and chairman of BRAC, Hossain Zillur Rahman, told Prothom Alo, "Our country has developed educational infrastructure, but quality hasn't expanded. The connection between our education and employment hasn't happened effectively, resulting in educated unemployment. Because of this, parents are sending their children abroad for quality education."
Hossain Zillur Rahman further said, "This is a kind of international inclination, whereas there's a weakness in domestic standards. It won't easily diminish. We need to improve the quality of education for ourselves and connect it with employment, so the number of educated unemployed decreases."
Costs have doubled
According to Bangladesh Bank, over the past five fiscal years, the expenses on the education sector sent abroad have increased by more than double.
In the fiscal year 2021-22, the amount spent in this sector was 430. 2 million dollars, which steadily increased in subsequent years. In the fiscal year 2022-23, expenses in this sector rose to 524. 4 million dollars, and in the fiscal year 2023-24, it further increased to 539. 0 million dollars.
However, significant jumps were observed in the subsequent two fiscal years. In the fiscal year 2024-25, 665. 9 million dollars were sent as expenses for education abroad, and in the last fiscal year 2025-26, this rose to 881. 7 million dollars. In other words, over just five years, these expenses have increased by about 105 per cent or more than double. This significant amount of money is mainly being sent abroad to cover tuition fees, housing, and living expenses.
How expenses are sent
To go abroad, students first need to contact the educational institutions or universities of that country. Many consulting firms have now been established in the country to facilitate such contacts. If a student receives an offer letter for valid admission to a foreign educational institution, they can open a ''student file'' in a bank by submitting the necessary documents. Through this file, tuition fees can be directly sent to the university or the student's bank account in that country.
According to the rules, only one semester's expenses can be sent at a time. Only if the semester's results are passed and promoted to the next semester, permission is granted to send expenses for the next semester. In addition, a specific amount of money can be regularly sent to cover living expenses.
BRAC Bank is at the top of the list to provide such services. The bank has a special service named ''Agami'' for students wishing to go abroad.
Meheruba Reza, the responsible officer of this division, said to Prothom Alo, "We provide this service in 37 branches. Besides, there are three specialised centres in Dhaka. Every month we're opening 2000–2500 accounts. After Dhaka, students from Sylhet and Chittagong are going the most. Now students are going more to countries like New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and European countries."
What is this student file?
The Student File is a type of special bank account for students going abroad. Using this account, tuition fees and living expenses can be easily sent to the student residing abroad. For this, in many cases, an international debit card is provided to the relevant student, which can be used to meet their expenses abroad. Additionally, some banks also provide loans for students to study. The application to open the student file must be made after the visa is issued.
The cost of opening such a student file varies between banks. However, typically, this cost remains within Tk 10,000. Some banks have separate counters or specialised centres to provide this service. Some banks offer the opportunity to open this account on the same day. Premier Bank, BRAC Bank, Pubali Bank, City Bank, Dutch-Bangla Bank, Eastern Bank, Prime Bank, Bank Asia, and Mutual Trust Bank are leading in this service. In addition, foreign banks are also providing this service.
What is required to open a file
To open a student file, along with the student's name and photo, an offer letter issued by a foreign educational institution mentioning the course duration should be submitted. In addition, details of tuition fees, living expenses, and a certificate of educational qualifications completed in Bangladesh must be provided.
Alongside the details of the guardian and a copy of the passport, a copy of the applicant student's visa also needs to be submitted. There is a prescribed form by Bangladesh Bank for the application. To open this student file, the student's guardian must have a bank account in the designated bank. If there isn't an account, a new account needs to be opened in their name, as the main account of the guardian is used to transfer money to the student file.
Meanwhile, the procedure for sending course fees for students studying abroad has been made easier by Bangladesh Bank. There's no need for prior permission from the central bank to send students' fees.
Arup Haider, Deputy Managing Director of City Bank, told Prothom Alo, "We are opening 800 to 1,000 student files every month. We have specialised centres to provide this service easily. Once, more files were opened for universities in Europe and America. Now more files are being opened for South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. "