The number of Indians students taking visas to study in Australia has almost halved in the current financial compared to the same time last year.

Students from India show a lot of interest to study in different countries of the world. Australia, with a huge Indian population, has been a favorite destination for many students to pursue their higher education. However, there has been a declining interest in the application for student visas for universities across the world. The number of international student visas dropped more than 16%.

Australian Visa approval, which was around 65,000 last year, has come down to 29,000 this year. Analysts say that this could be because of the global financial crisis and the alleged racist attacks on students. Some also feel that this could be a result of the strict legislative changes made by the Australian Government.

"Education is a major export market for Australia and there must be a focus on the quality of the export, not just numbers of students enrolling in courses," an Australian spokeswoman said. Australian ministry for education feels that the trend is not only disappointing but worrying and they expect the numbers to go down.