Study Abroad: 2.68 lakh Indian students in the US, highest ever

NEW DELHI: The number of Indian students enrolled in higher education in the United States of America grew 35% in 2022-2023 and the number of graduate students from India surpassed that of China’s, said the Open Doors Report 2023 released on Monday. A total of 2.68 lakh Indians were enrolled in US institutions in 2022-23.

The report on overseas students in the US is published annually by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education.

China is still the country sending the most students to study in US but the number is declining; over the same period, it showed a negative growth of -0.2%. Overall, the number of international students in the US has grown 12%, says the Open Doors Report.

In 24 US states, there are more Indian students than Chinese. These include Illinois, Texas and Michigan where most Indian students study. The US has over a million – 1,057,188 – students from foreign countries, says the report . The following eight countries reached “all-time high” numbers in sending students.

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Study in US: Record growths

“This reinforces that the US remains the destination of choice for international students wishing to study abroad, as it has been for more than a century," said Allan E Goodman, CEO, IIE.

Study in US: Graduate enrolment

Students from India studying graduate programmes added to the increased number of Indian students in the US. "Graduate student enrollment increased the most, with 467,027 international students pursuing master’s, doctorate, or professional degrees. Undergraduate student enrollment grew for the first time in five years," the Open Doors Report said.

"Seventy percent of US institutions are prioritising undergraduate outreach and 80 percent of U.S. institutions are prioritising graduate outreach for students in India," the report also said.

The undergraduate programmes accounted for 16 percent of Indian students studying in the US. Also, a maximum number of Indian students opt for OPT or optional practical training. The number of Indian students at each level of study is given below.

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Study Abroad: Indian students in the US

Mirka Martel, head of research, evaluation and learning at IIE, said: “International students from India increased by 35% reaching an all-time high of 268,923 students. The number of Indian graduate students increased by a robust 63% and there was a 16 percent uptick in undergraduates. India continues to be the number one place of origin of students on OPT with 69,062 students.” OPT is permission given to students to work for a temporary period to get real-world experience in the stream they study.

The Open Doors report also states that the number of international students on OPT grew by 8% to 198,793 students.

Study Abroad: What Indians study in US

As per the report, programmes in mathematics, computer science and business studies have gained popularity, with 41.2 percent of Indian students in the US enrolled in these.

A decade ago, more students were opting for engineering. In that field, the number has gone up by 26% over 10 years.