Indians on US campuses up 19%; China sees 9% dip but still at top

Indians in American graduate programmes rose 48% from the previous year to touch 1,02,024. The US now has 27,545 Indians at the UG level, 68,188 pursuing their optional practical training, and 1,425 doing non-degree courses.

- Hemali Chhapia

Mumbai: Intensifying the disruption of a long-established trend, India saw about 19% increase in students on US campuses to 1.99 lakh in the post-pandemic phase while China saw a drop. India’s upward trajectory was sustained in fall 2022 (August-September), the snapshot Open Doors survey of a limited number of institutions showed.

Indians in American graduate programmes, which account for the largest slice of desis in the US, crossed the 1 lakh mark, up 48% from the previous year to touch 1,02,024. The US now has 27,545 Indians at the undergraduate level, 68,188 pursuing OPT (optional practical training), and 1,425 doing non-degree courses. Indian students contributed $5.9 billion to the US economy through expenses.