One in five international students in the US is Indian — despite sharp fall in student visas

• Of the total 1.1 million international students, over 200,000 students in the US are from India, according to the latest Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.
  
• This means that one in five international students studying in the higher education institutions in the United States is Indian.
  
• However, the number of student visas granted in 2018 stood at 42,694 — which fell by 40% in the last four years.
  
• Most of the Indians enrolled in Mathematics and Computer Science domain at 37%.

One in five international students studying in the United States is Indian. This means, India sent maximum chunks of students for higher education to the US, coming next only to China.

Of the total 1.1 million international students, over 200,000 are from India, according to the latest Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. The number increased by 3% as compared to that of 2017-18 academic session.

This number has withstood the onslaught on student visas to Indians. In 2018 as many as 42,694 visas were extended — which fell by 40%, according to a US State department.

As STEM education gains popularity, maximum Indians chose to study Mathematics and Computer Science. They constitute 37% of the total students studying in the US. It is closely followed by the ever-popular engineering course, at nearly 32%.

“The opportunity for STEM students to work in the US for 36 months after graduation has resulted in a palpable increase in the numbers currently pursuing optional training programmes. There is a growing trend in US institutions to collaborate with current students and alumni to build recruitment pipelines,with India being a preferred destination. These could be some of the reasons for the increase in enrollment," Swetha Muthanna, Director, Yashna Trust-Education told the Times of India.

Other popular courses among Indians in the US include business management, health and social sciences. While the undergraduate admissions increased by 6.3%, non-degree courses jumped by 18%.

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