For the first time in fifteen years, Indian students have surpassed Chinese students as the largest group of foreign students in the United States. According to new data issued by the State Department in collaboration with the Institute of International Education, there are currently 331,602 Indian foreign students in the United States, an increase of 23 per cent from the previous academic year. On the other hand, the number of Chinese international students has decreased by 4.2 per cent, with the number currently standing at 277,398. South Korea, Canada, and Taiwan follow far behind as the next most popular countries of origin for international students, with numbers considerably under 50,000.
Since the pandemic, the number of Chinese international students attending American colleges and institutions has been declining annually. India’s student population has grown significantly in the same period since COVID-19. Experts say the shift is due to the influence of engineering and computer science departments at American universities, the residual effects of travel restrictions from the pandemic, and the US Government’s shifting stance towards China.
According to a note released by the US Embassy on the most recent annual report, India is currently the most popular country of origin for international students studying in the US, making up 29 per cent of the overall number of international students. India, China, South Korea (43,149), Canada (28,998), and Taiwan (23,157) are the top five source nations for international students studying in the US in 2023–2024.
According to this year’s research, the number of American students selecting India as a study abroad destination has increased by 300 per cent. In 2022–2023, the number of American students studying in India increased from 300 to 1,300.
For the second year, India ‘remained the largest sender’ of international graduate students to the United States, including those pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees. According to the study, there were 1,96,567 Indian graduate students, a 19 per cent rise. The number of Indian undergraduate students rose by 13 per cent to 36,053, while the number of non-degree students fell by 28 per cent to 1,426.
In order to help early-career women scientists and researchers in India become leaders in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) fields, the US-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment and John Hopkins University Gupta-Klinsky India Institute have partnered. In an effort to promote women’s formal engagement in the workforce and formal economy, the US Mission to India is proud to encourage US-India educational collaboration from elementary school through careers.
Image source: Rediff, Deccan Herald, TOI