Student migration from Kerala for higher studies has become a major contemporary trend, shifting from traditional labour migration to education-led migration, especially toward the Global North. This study identifies key drivers such as limitations in the state’s higher education system, unemployment, aspirations for global mobility, opportunities for permanent settlement, and evolving social attitudes. It also highlights the impacts, including brain drain, ageing population, financial pressures on families, and changes in social structures. The paper concludes that this trend reflects deeper structural constraints and emphasizes the need to improve higher education quality, employability, research opportunities, and local career prospects to reduce migration driven by compulsion.