India sends record number of students to US

India sent a record 268,923 students to the US in the 2022-23 academic year, marking a 35% jump from the previous year, a US government report showed.

The majority, 165,936, were graduate students, while 69,062 engaged in optional practical training, and 31,954 were undergraduates, according to the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.

Optional practical training provides eligible students with a temporary work permit for gaining practical experience in their study fields.

The majority of Indian students were concentrated in Texas, with New York, California, Massachusetts, and Illinois also hosting significant numbers.

Indian students made up over 25% of the more than one million international students in the US.

This September, the US mission in India had said that it issued a record number of more than 90,000 visas to Indian students this summer, adding that between June-August, one in four student visas worldwide was issued to Indians.

US consular offices across India had issued 95,269 visas in the F, M and J categories, an 18% increase over 2022.

US ambassador Eric Garcetti said: “You did it, India! Each and every Indian student in the US and the families supporting their success deserve recognition for this achievement.”

“The decision to study abroad, and your choice of the US, represents a valuable investment by you and your families. You are bringing our countries closer together and leading us towards a bright future, Garcetti said, adding, “We celebrate the strength of the Indian educational system that prepares students to compete globally and look forward to seeing India continue to lead.”

The report, released by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE), serves as an essential annual benchmark on international educational exchange and student mobility. International students, accounting for 6% of the total US higher education population, contributed nearly $38 billion to the US economy, per the US Department of Commerce.

“Students from around the world have chosen the US as the top destination for international study. International education is a vehicle that promotes peace and cross-cultural connections and provides the tools necessary to address the shared challenges of our time. It continues to shape the leaders of the future, both here at home and abroad, and we look forward to doing even more to attract international students to the US and serve as the global leader in international education,” assistant US secretary of state Lee Satterfield said in the report.