US Universities Witness 12.3% Increase in Indian Students, Says Report

The number of Indian students taking up higher education in the US (United States) universities has increased by 12.3% over the last one year. Indian students contribute over $6.5 billion to the country’s economy (in 2016), and Indian students are the second largest group of international students in the US after China.

According to Open Doors report of the IIE (Institute of International Education), a total number of 1,86,267 students from India were pursuing higher studies in the US during 2016-17. However, China had a total number of 3,50,755 students applying for US universities, registering a growth of 6.8 percent.

The total number of international students pursuing higher studies in the US increased by 3% over the prior year. On the other hand, the number of American students pursuing education abroad increased by 4%.

Also Read: - India at Second Spot in Terms of Number of International Students at US Universities

The Open Doors report further observed that India comprises of 17.3% of the total international students in the United States. Among them, the majority of the students take up graduate programmes. Some of the major highlights of the report are:

• In the year 2016-17, the total number of students taking up undergraduate courses was 11.8%.
• Similarly, the number of students taking up courses at graduate level was 56.3%.
• Students taking up Optional Practical Training (OPT) were 30.7%.
• Finally, students taking up other courses were just 1.2%.

For the second consecutive year, i.e., 2016-17, the US universities and colleges hosted more than one million international students.