According to the Open Doors Report (ODR), the number of international students from India to the USA increased by 35 per cent and resulted in an all-time high of 268,923 students in the academic year 2022-23.

New York: The number of Indians pursuing postgraduate studies in the United States (US) increased 63 per cent to 1.65 lakh in academic year 2022-23 — surpassing China for the first time in 15 years to become the largest source of international graduate students in America. Additionally, undergraduate students from India showed a commendable 16% growth, contributing to the overall surge in Indian students opting for American higher education.

According to the Open Doors Report (ODR), the number of international students from India to the USA increased by 35 per cent and resulted in an all-time high of 268,923 students in the academic year 2022-23. However, China saw a reduction of 0.2% year-on-year.

“In addition, eight places of origin, including Bangladesh, Colombia, Ghana, India, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan, and Spain, reached all-time highs in international student numbers,” the report said. It pointed out that India continued to be the highest priority for undergraduate and graduate recruitment

“Seventy per cent of US institutions are prioritising undergraduate outreach and 80% of U.S. institutions are prioritising graduate outreach for students in India,” the report also said.

The report also sheds light on the popularity of optional practical training (OPT) among Indian students, with 69,062 individuals choosing this temporary work permission option to gain real-world experience related to their field of study in the U.S.

Engineering is no longer the most popular choice for Indians pursuing higher education in the US. Programmes in mathematics and computer sciences have seen a significant increase in popularity, with 41.2 per cent of total Indian students in the US now studying these subjects, up from 26 per cent a decade ago. In fact, mathematics and computer science are steadily eroding the share of engineering disciplines, which has decreased from 38 per cent a decade ago to 26.9 per cent in 2022-23.

Students from India now outnumber those from China in 24 US states, including Illinois, Texas, and Michigan, which are among the top destinations for international students.

China and India together account for 52 per cent of the total international student cohort in America.