Photo for representational purpose.
Credit: iStock photo
New Delhi: India has sent more students to the United States than any other country in 2023-24, for the first time in 15 years.
More than 330,000 Indians had pursued higher education in the US in 2023-24, registering a 23 per cent increase over the previous year. India also retained its position as the top sender of international graduate students for the second year, with nearly 197,000 students – a 19 per cent increase from the previous year, according to the US Open Door Report 2024.
The number of students from India in Optional Practical Training programs in the US surged by 41 per cent to 97,556. This reinforced India’s role as a leading source of skilled professionals in America, according to a press release issued by the US embassy in New Delhi.
The number of undergraduate students from India going to the US rose by 13 per cent, reaching over 36,000 students.
The India-US collaboration in the education sector is now set to expand with the launch of the new "Women in STEMM Fellowship" (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine), a partnership between John Hopkins University Gupta-Klinsky India Institute and the US-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment, aimed at supporting and empowering early-career women scientists and researchers in India to become leaders in their STEMM fields.
India replaced China from the top position it continued to hold every year. In 2023-24, China had sent 2.77 lakh students to the US. Apart from that, South Korea (43,149), Canada (28,998) and Taiwan (23,157) were among the top five countries whose students took admissions on the US.
The Open Doors Report also states that this is the second year that India has continued to be in the top position in graduate admissions, registering 1.97 lakh admissions — which is a rise of 19 per cent from last year. The report also showed that for Indian students, Mathematics or Computer Science, which accounted for 42.9 per cent of all admissions, continued to be the most popular subject, rising from the 41.2 per cent in 2022-23.
The report also shows a remarkable increase of 300 per cent in American students choosing India as a study abroad destination. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of Americans studying in India rose from 300 to 1,300.
In the admissions to undergraduate students, the number of admissions of Indian students rose by 13 per cent, touching 36,000 students. In the case of Optional Practical Training (OPT) programs, admissions rose by 41 per cent, touching 97,556. However, the number of admissions to non-degree courses saw a decline of 28 per cent to 1,426 students.
At the event, Garcetti announced that to promote the study of Indian women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) in the US, the John Hopkins Institute will have a partnership with the US-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment. The Gupta-Klinsky India Institute at John Hopkins will be part of the initiative, which will pave the way for admissions to more women in STEMM courses.
“This event is a reminder of the global importance of education, collaboration, and gender equity in shaping the future of STEMM,” Garcetti said.
The US Consulate General in Mumbai and the University of Denver will also soon launch a free “Digital Guide on Internationalization: Simplifying US-India Higher Education Institution (HEI) Collaboration and Partnerships.” This guide will provide Indian colleges and universities with information about the US educational system, resources for internationalizing their campuses by partnering with US colleges and universities, best practices for successful collaborations, the importance of DEIA in recruitment, and ways to build different types of partnerships in areas like student and faculty exchanges, curriculum development, research and data sharing, and more.