NEW DELHI: It is not just diplomatic ties that are on the ascendancy between India and the US. The US is going all out to get Indian students to study in their universities, issuing a record number of visas to them this summer.
"The US Mission in India has issued around 90,000 student visas for Indians this summer from June to August. This also means that one in every four students granted a US visa this year was in India," said the US Embassy in Delhi.
According to estimates, in 2022 nearly 4,65,791 Indian students were studying in the US.
India’s share in the total number of international students had increased from 11.8 per cent to 21 per cent.
India surpassed China in sending more students to the United States in 2022, according to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to their annual report, India sent 64,300 students to America in 2022 while China's number shrunk to 24,796.
"I first came to India as a young student and I’ve seen in my own life how transformative these experiences can be," said US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti.
"Student exchange is at the heart of U.S.-India relations, and with good reason. A U.S. education provides students a world-class education and access to a global network of knowledge, laying the foundation for a lifetime of understanding. That’s why we are here today, to encourage these opportunities for as many Indian students as possible," said Ambassador Garcetti during the seventh annual Student Visa Day celebrations held in June.
Meanwhile, there has been a steady rise in the number of Indian students in the US. Statistics show that in 2022, there was a 19 per cent increase. Of the Indian students that got admitted across various universities in the US, 37 per cent were girls.
According to the 2021 Open Doors report, the US remains the top study destination with more than 9,00,000 students from over 200 places of origin.
For Indian students seeking higher education, the United States remains their top choice. There are many reasons why getting a degree from the US is becoming more desirable, including the abundance of top-notch colleges and universities there. This year’s increased capacity for US visas, shorter wait times and an overall rise in the number of Indians who want to study abroad, not just from major cities but also from tier 2 and tier 3 cities also led to more Indians looking to go abroad for studies.