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Record Numbers of Indian Students at US Universities
A growing number of students from India are studying at foreign universities as a generation of young people prepare for jobs they cannot find at home.
India estimates 1.5 million students are studying at foreign universities. That is eight times more than in 2012. And no country is attracting more Indian students than the U.S.
Many Indian students think studying at foreign universities is a way to find jobs in other countries. American schools gain from the increase. At the same time, enrollment by students from China has decreased. U.S. universities have turned to India as a new source of students who pay full price for education.
India’s economy is growing. But many young people with university degrees are jobless. Jobs are being created in fields such as construction and agriculture, but they do not meet the demands of a newly educated workforce, said Rosa Abraham. She is an economist at Azim Premji University.
Reports say India’s own higher education system is not big enough to deal with demand. As the population increases, competition for entrance to India’s top universities has increased too. Acceptance rates at some top Indian universities have fallen to as low as 0.2 percent, compared to three percent at Harvard University and four percent at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Pranay Karkale, a first-year graduate student at Johns Hopkins University from Nashik, India, stands at the university's campus in Baltimore on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
Universities in Canada, Australia, and Britain also are seeing increasing interest. But interest is highest in U.S. universities which enroll nearly 269,000 students from India. And that number is increasing. There was a 35 percent increase in the 2022-2023 school year. India is getting closer to replacing China as the largest international student body in U.S. universities.
The majority of Indian students are coming for graduate programs in science, math, and engineering. Those fields face shortages in the U.S. But undergraduate numbers also are rising as India’s middle class grows. Studying in the U.S. offers the chance to work in the country for up to three years after graduation. The U.S. government program is known as optional practical training.
Accepting more foreign students increases income for American universities because international students pay higher tuition. However, the number of students coming from China has been decreasing possibly because of political tensions and a slowing Chinese economy.
In India, American universities have become a common sight at university fairs aimed at getting students to apply to schools. Many U.S. schools are spending a lot of money to gain name recognition in India. American universities are spreading their efforts farther across the country to find students in smaller cities and towns, where demand for foreign study has been rising.
But for the majority of India’s young people, an overseas education remains out of reach. The cost of a U.S. education is too high for most. In addition, Indian banks have decreased the number of student loans they give because a large number of borrowers fail to repay them.
For those who can pay, the high tuition costs, the student visa process also can create barriers. At the U.S. embassy in New Delhi, those asking for student visas are often turned down.
Recently, Daisy Cheema’s visa was rejected. She spent weeks preparing for a visa meeting after getting accepted to Westcliff University, a for-profit university in California. She paid for an agency to help with the process, but her visa was rejected with no reason provided. She just received a piece of paper saying she could reapply.
Cheema is 22. She hoped to gain work experience in the U.S. before returning to India to support her family. Her parents, who own a gas station in the northern state of Punjab, were going to pay with their savings.
“I feel terrible right now,” said Cheema, holding back tears. “But I will prepare more and try again. I’m not giving up.”
I’m Gregory Stachel.
Collin Binkley and Krutika Pathi reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English.
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Words in This Story
attract –v. to influence someone to join an organization or pay for a service or product
enroll – v. to enter (someone) as a member of or participant in something
construction – n. the act or process of building something (such as a house or road)
graduate – adj. of or relating to a course of studies taken at a college or university after earning a bachelor's degree or other first degree
tuition – n. money that is paid to a school for the right to study there
recognition – n. the act of knowing who or what someone or something is because of previous knowledge or experience
tears – n. a drop of liquid that comes from your eyes especially when you cry