Indian students going to US declines by 16.43%

New Delhi : Institute of International Education has released 2017 Open Doors data which pointed that percentage of Indian students flowing to US for higher education has declined by 16.43 % over the previous year.
According to a report published in Livemint, As per Open Doors data, in 2016-17, 62,537 got the F1 Visa, down from 74,831 students in the previous year, a 16.43% decline. This decline came amid concerns over changes in the US immigration policy.
According to official data released on Monday, a total of 186,267 Indians were studying in the US universities in 2016-17. In 2015-16, the number had grown by 24.9% and in 2014-15 it had jumped by 29.4%.
The 2017 Open Doors data released by the Institute of International Education (IIE) also says that in 2016-17, Indian students accounted for 17.3% of the total foreign students in the US contributing $6.54 billion to the US economy. The data was prepared in collaboration with the US department of state’s bureau of educational and cultural affairs.
While the cumulative student population has grown, the flow of fresh students has seen a downward trend.
Apart from India, the growth was subdued in China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Canada as well. The number of Saudi students and Brazilian students declined by 14% and 32% respectively.
The Washington post said on Monday that “Higher education leaders have been on alert for signs that the Trump administration’s efforts to ban travelers from certain majority-Muslim countries and heightened scrutiny of foreign visitors are deterring international students.”
“The rate of growth for India is the highest among the top 25 places of origin among international students in the US…but the rate of 12% growth was lower than the 25% growth in the previous year,” the report added
Among the total Indian students in the US, their numbers enrolled in different courses include:

  • graduate courses (104,899),
  • 57,132 pursing other practical training (OPT)
  • 21,977 were in undergraduate programs
  • 2,259 are in non-degree programs

The top three destinations for Indian students in US are California, New York and Texas.