US witnesses 30 percent increase in Indian students for higher education
The Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, an annual report published by the Institute of International Education, has confirmed that the Indian students studying in the United States contributed a whopping $3.6 billion to the US economy for the 2014/2015 academic year. The report is published in partnership with State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. US, a very popular study destination amongst Indian students, saw a stupendous rise in the number of Indian students to 132,888 for the year. With this, Indians comprise of 13.6 percent of the total international students studying in the USA and now are only second to the Chinese which have double the number of Indian students. The 29.4 percent growth in Indian students was the highest for Indian students since the last 60 years. Only in 2000/01, Indian students had shown a comparable 29.1 % exceeding 50,000 for the first time.
Amongst the fields chosen by international students, engineering remains most popular with business and management coming a close second. The contribution in 50 states by all international students was over $30 billion to the economy.
The emerging countries of Brazil, China and India account for maximum international students in the United States.
Evan Ryan, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, expressed delight to see the number of students utilizing the education opportunities.
Most of the Indian students are at graduate level and the report confirmed the breakdown as 12.4 percent undergraduate; 64 percent graduate students; 1.4 percent other and 22.1 percent OPT (Optional Practical Training).
India had the highest number of students going to USA for over eight years in a row starting from 2001/02.
Together, Indian and Chinese students accounted for over 67 percent increase in international students as they contributed to about 45 percent of the total strength of international students in US higher education.
On the other hand, students from South Korea, which also had a large number of enrollment earlier, saw a decline in the number of students by six percent while its Asian counterparts saw a steady rise.
Overall, USA continues to the top choice for international students for pursuing their higher education.