The number of Indian students studying in the United States in 2018-19 has crossed the two lakh mark for the first time.
According to the 2019 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, released on Monday, the number of Indians studying in the US has increased by almost 3 per cent over the last year to 202,014.
This marks the sixth consecutive year that the total number of Indians pursuing their higher education in the United States has grown, said the report.
Various colleges and universities in the United States have hosted more than one million international students for the fourth consecutive year in 2018-19.
It is a known fact that every year, many students from Northeast India also take admission in various institutions in foreign countries including the United States for pursuing higher studies.
The total number of international students including Indians expanded for the 13th consecutive year.
Speaking at the United States India Educational Foundation (USIEF), the U.S. Embassy’s Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs Charisse Phillips said, “Student exchanges between our two countries help strengthen the foundation upon which our strategic partnership is built.”
“Indian students are looking for a great education and the United States offers the best return on this investment,” said Phillips.
As per the report, Indians make up over 18 pc of all international students in the US.
India provided the second highest number of graduate students and jumped up to third place in undergraduates.
“Our system of education offers practical application and experience which gives any graduate an advantage in the job market,” said Karl Adam, First Secretary, Cultural Affairs.
“We want to help Indian students with credible and official information on studying in the United States and that’s why we have seven EducationUSA advising centers across India and a free mobile app called EducationUSA India now available on iOS and Android,” added Adam.
The report says the top places of origin for international students studying in the United States are China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Brazil and Mexico.
The top host states are California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.