The number of Indian students presently in the United States of America has doubled since the year 2012-13, the 2018 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange displays. As of 2017-18, there were 196,271 Indian students in the USA, up 5.4 percent from last year, and more than twice the 96,734 in 2012-13.
“The reasons are clear: Indian students are looking for a great education and the United States continues to offer this,” Joseph Pomper, US-Indian Educational Foundation Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs, said in New Delhi Tuesday. Pomper added that the US embassy continues to see well qualified Indians applying to study in the US as well as record attendances at US university fairs held across the country.
Indian students comprises the second largest student population in the USA, following China. Chinese account for 33.2 percent and Indians for 17.9 percent of the international students in the US. Chinese students increased 3.6% from 350,755 in 2016-2017 to 363,341 in 2017-2018. South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Canada follows India, with student populations of 54,555; 44,432; and 25,909 respectively.
The total number of international students in the USA (1,094,792) grew 1.5 percent in the last session, as compared to growth rates of 3.4 percent, 7.1 percent and 10 percent in the earlierthree years. International students are 5.5 percent of the total student population in the USA (1,98,31,000).
Approximately half of the current Indian students in 2018 (95,671) took admission in graduate degrees; however, this population has dropped 8.8 percent since last year. Another 23,346 Indian students are following undergraduate degrees, up 6.2 percent compared to last year; 1,884 are in non-degree courses, down 16.6 percent; 75,390 are in Optional Practical Training (OPT) programmes, up 32 percent. About three-quarters of the Indian students are in Mathematics/Computer and Engineering degrees, 10percent are studying Business and Management, and 8 percent are in Physical Science and health professional programmes.
The number of American students in India, too, has improved – by 12.5 percent, to 4,704.
