US remains top choice for Indian students for study abroad

Indian students in US decline by 13%; make up nearly a fifth of over 914,000 international students

The United States remains a top destination for Indian students with 167,582 of them making up nearly a fifth of over 914,000 international students coming to the US in the 2020-2021 academic year.

However, there was an overall decline of 13.2% in the total number of Indian students pursuing higher education at US institutions in 2021-21 compared to the previous year, according to the 2021 Open Doors Report released on Monday.

The international students from over 200 places of origin too declined by about 15% from the previous academic year, according to the report published by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

Read: US remains top choice for Indian students; UK sees massive jump (September 27, 2021)

Representing 5% of all students in US higher education, international students contributed $39 billion to the US economy in 2020, according to the US department of commerce.

“Despite the global pandemic, Indian students were able to apply for visas and travel to the United States,” US Minister Counsellor for Consular Affairs Don Heflin said at the release of the Open Doors report on international student mobility in New Delhi.

“We issued over 62,000 student visas this summer alone, more than in any previous year,” he said according to a press release from the US embassy in New Delhi.

“This goes to show that the United States remains the destination of choice for Indian students looking to study abroad,” said Heflin. “We look forward to issuing many more visas in the year to come, to help Indian students achieve their dreams of US study.”

“We value Indian students, as they build life-long connections with American peers to maintain and grow international partnerships, and to collectively address current and future global challenges,” said Counselor for Cultural and Educational Affairs, Anthony Miranda.

“The United States is the gold standard for higher education, providing world-class practical application and experience that gives our graduates an advantage in the global economy,” he said.

“International student mobility is central to US diplomacy, innovation, economic prosperity, and national security,” Miranda added.

The 2021 Fall Snapshot of the Open Doors report, which looks forward to the 2021-2022 academic year, shows a substantial increase in student numbers this year, further affirming that international students value a US education and remain committed to pursuing higher education in the United States, the release said.

In fact, the United States remained open and welcoming to international students throughout the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Last year, the US government and US higher-education institutions implemented measures to safely welcome international students in person, online, and via hybrid learning methods, guaranteeing that opportunities and resources to international students remained robust.

Read: US remains top choice for Indian students pursuing higher education abroad: Open Doors Report (November 16, 2021)

Students seeking assistance about studying in the United States should download the EducationUSA India app, available for free on iOS and Android devices, the embassy said.

At the click of a button, the app provides the latest information about the college application process and is a quick and easy first step to planning higher education in the United States, it said.