India top sender of international graduate students to United States: Report

New Delhi: India has sent more students to the United States than any other country in 2023-24, for the first time in 15 years.

More than 330,000 Indians had pursued higher education in the US in 2023-24, registering a 23 per cent increase over the previous year. India also retained its position as the top sender of international graduate students for the second year, with nearly 197,000 students – a 19 per cent increase from the previous year, according to the US Open Door Report 2024.

The number of students from India in Optional Practical Training programs in the US surged by 41 per cent to 97,556. This reinforced India’s role as a leading source of skilled professionals in America, according to a press release issued by the US embassy in New Delhi.

The number of undergraduate students from India going to the US rose by 13 per cent, reaching over 36,000 students.

The India-US collaboration in the education sector is now set to expand with the launch of the new "Women in STEMM Fellowship" (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine), a partnership between John Hopkins University Gupta-Klinsky India Institute and the US-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment, aimed at supporting and empowering early-career women scientists and researchers in India to become leaders in their STEMM fields.

“This event is a reminder of the global importance of education, collaboration, and gender equity in shaping the future of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). The launch of the Women in STEMM Fellowship coinciding with International Education Week makes this moment particularly meaningful and more special,” Eric Garcetti, the US ambassador to India, said.

“Today marks the celebration of the shared belief that education is not confined by borders, and that collaboration between our countries and institutions is the key to solving global challenges.”

India replaced China from the top position it continued to hold every year. In 2023-24, China had sent 2.77 lakh students to the US. Apart from that, South Korea (43,149), Canada (28,998) and Taiwan (23,157) were among the top five countries whose students took admissions on the US.

The Open Doors Report also states that this is the second year that India has continued to be in the top position in graduate admissions, registering 1.97 lakh admissions — which is a rise of 19 per cent from last year. The report also showed that for Indian students, Mathematics or Computer Science, which accounted for 42.9 percent of all admissions, continued to be the most popular subject, rising from the 41.2 per cent in 2022-23. 

The report also shows a remarkable increase of 300 per cent in American students choosing India as a study abroad destination. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of Americans studying in India rose from 300 to 1,300.