According to a new report released by the International Educational Exchange, India has finally knocked China off the top spot for the leading country of origin for international students in the United States. At more than 331,000 Indians enrolled in US universities during the 2023-2024 academic year—a number representing a rise of 23% from the previous year—India has solidly grasped the upper hand and secured its title as the greatest contributor to the US student body.
There are many reasons for this recent surge in Indian student enrollment: the wide opportunities US institutions offer, the increasing pull of STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), and an already robust Indian diaspora in the United States. According to Marvin Krislov, President of Pace University, “enthusiasm for education and opportunities in the United States” itself is a potent attraction for Indian students. A significant number of Indian-Americans are also here, which helps students feel connected and supported in the academic journey.
At the graduate level, Indian enrollment growth rose 19% to 196,567 students and in OPT programs, which grew by 41%. OPT is an additional period of practical training in a student’s area of major study during which international students on an F-1 visa can engage in practical experience in their field of study.
According to President Raj Echambadi of Illinois Tech, the two primary reasons behind this trend are the high standards of quality of Indian students, particularly those in graduate programs which match well with the challenging academic environment of US universities. Many Indian students have excelled in STEM disciplines, representing a natural fit with educational infrastructure in the United States. With the improvement of US-India relations, the US has become an increasingly more attractive country for students from India than China, which has experienced trouble with US relations in the recent years.
A higher growth rate in the U.S. is observed among Indian students compared to the other countries such as Australia, UK, and Canada, which signifies a strong desire among young Indians to globalize and seek international opportunities. The number of Indian students at Illinois Tech has increased more than threefold in the last five years, while that at Pace University is over 2,000. Such institutions have been strengthening their collaboration with Indian universities to acquire reciprocal knowledge and scholarly research.
Experts have indicated that the US remains an elite destination for Indian students because of world-class education available and access routes to later success. As this trend continues, the rising Indian student population will enrich the academic and cultural milieu of US universities even further.
