A recent video shared by an Indian student studying in Europe has sparked a massive backlash online. European residents have been accusing Indian-origin students of "scamming" their education system while allegedly getting paid 1400 euros a month.
In the video being circulated far and wide on X, an Indian student shared that the European Union pays him 1400 euros every month to study in Europe. "That covers my rent, travel and meals with zero student debt," said the young man. He added that, along with saving on expenditure, he saves 600 euros every single month, amounting to about 60,000 Indian rupees.
He claimed that there are three essentials to be able to live the same life, namely, a bachelor's degree, a valid passport and proficiency in English. He called them "elite scholarship secrets," while adding that IELTS is not "always mandatory."
Numerous Europeans took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their frustration over the EU paying students to study in Europe, while native students struggled.
"Europe literally paying Indians 1400 euro a month to "study" here while our own students can't afford rent and are drowning in debt. this guy is literally bragging about scamming the system with a degree that’s worth less than a high school diploma in the west. total subversion of our education system and you are the one footing the bill. peak comedy," wrote one user on X.
"Indian immigration to Europe and USA becoming a problem. They don’t even integrate. I do not mind few Indians here and there but what is happening right now is too much" added another.
"This is a wild situation. It's crazy how some are gaming the system like this!" one condemned.
However, many others pointed out that the taxes paid by Indians enjoying high-paying jobs in Europe are beneficial to the region's economy. "If these students are highly competent and end up getting well-paying technical jobs in the destination country (e.g. Finland) their lifetime tax contributions will be far greater than the bursary they get. The challenge is selection and retention of talent not benefits itself," they wrote.
While another added that the immigrants were required considering the low birth rate in Europe. "Europe needs these kids, since Europeans have been brainwashed not to procreate themselves. And the ones getting educated are actually the most valuable to the continent. Your framing would have held if there was actually an increasing European youth population," they claimed.
What the Indian student seemed to be referring to is the Erasmus Mundus scholarship by the EU. It is a fully-funded scholarship for international students to study at top European universities. It covers tuition, travel and monthly living expenses for a Joint Master's Program and is applicable in multiple countries. In 2022, only 161 students from India qualified for the scholarship with even lower, 146, in 2024.
The flood of posts against Indian students online seems to underscore a larger anti-immigration rhetoric around them, going on in Europe and America. In November 2025, UK Indo-Pacific Minister Seema Malhotra flagged a surge in student asylum claims, calling them "visa abuse." However, Indian student migration to the UK has already fallen 11% in 2025, as compared to 2024, due to tighter immigration rules kicking in.
