12% rise in Indian students going to US, says report

There has been 12 per cent rise in the number of Indians studying in the US in 2017, says a report released here on Monday.

In the academic year of 2016-17, as many as 186,267 students from India were studying in the US, says the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, brought out by Institute of International Education in partnership with the US Department of States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

“The growth in the percentage is less as compared to the previous years, but I would like to highlight that the overall number of Indian students coming to the US is greater than the rest of the world. There has been overall drop, but the drop from India is less compared to other countries,” said Karl M Adam, Deputy Cultural Affairs Officer at the US Embassy.

According to the report, there has also been a fall in the number of Indians getting F-1 and M-1 visas. In 2016-17, around 62,537 and 503 Indians received the F-1 and M-1 visas, respectively, as compared to 74,831 and 609 the previous year.

“We certainly want to welcome all bona fide students whose primary goal is to go the US to study. The visa should not be a bigger factor in the decision of whether to go study in the US. The vast majority of students, applicants who come in and apply for visas get visas,” said George H.Hogeman, Consul General, US Embassy.

After China, it is India which has the highest number of students in the US. According to the US Department of Commerce, last year, Indians studying in the universities of the US contributed around $6.54 billion to the country.

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