IN January, Meghna Bajaj, a city-based PR executive, applied for a master's degree in luxury brand management at Istituto Marangoni, a private school of fashion and design in Milan, and at Coventry University, London. After completing her undergrad course in fashion communication and PR from London College of Fashion, the 24-year-old returned to Mumbai last year to gain on-ground experience working for bespoke brands. "This was supposed to be a stop-gap arrangement. I eventually wanted to go back," she says. To Bajaj's delight, she made the cut at both institutes, but picked London. "I've applied for a scholarship at Coventry, but they ask you to pay a sum of 4,000 £ (Rs 3.7 lakh) to secure your seat. I was just about to pay the fee in March, when the pandemic broke out," narrates Bajaj. Though the course starts in September, seeing the uncertainty, she has chosen to hold back. "The situation in the UK is bad, and Italy is worse. I'm in limbo."

Bajaj is one of many students who have had to rein in their plans to study abroad due to lockdown restrictions imposed across the globe. In several countries, this has even led to suspension of classes and visa processes. To ensure her plans of further studies aren't entirely derailed, Bajaj has begun scouting for courses in India, which are affiliated with foreign universities.