Indian Student Enrollment in US Universities Hits Record High, 35% Increase

The United States witnessed an unprecedented surge in Indian students in the 2022/23 academic year, reaching a historic high of 268,932 students, according to the 2023 Open Doors Report released by the Institute of International Education.

Data released Tuesday (November 14) revealed the number of Indian students has increased for the third year in a row. It is up 35 percent compared to the previous academic year when 199,182 students attended US higher education institutions, Erudera.com reports.

“You did it, India! Each and every Indian student in the United States and the families supporting their success deserve recognition for this achievement. The decision to study abroad, and your choice of the United States, represents a valuable investment by you and your families,” the US Ambassador Eric Garcetti said after the report was released.

Indian students now account for more than 25 percent of the over one million international students pursuing higher education in the United States.

This number of Indian students has propelled India ahead of China, making it the largest source of international graduate students in the United States for the first time since the 2009/10 academic year.

“The number of Indian graduate students rose by 63 percent to 165,936 students, an increase of nearly 64,000 students, compared to last year, while Indian undergraduate students also increased by 16 percent,” the US Embassy and Consulates in India said in a statement.

The report has further revealed India leads in the number of students opting for Optional Practical Training (OPT), a temporary work permission that provides students with real-world experience in their field of study.

A total of 69,062 Indian students have pursued optional practical training (OPT) during the 2022/23 academic year, a slight increase of 1.3 percent from 2021/22, when 68,188 students benefited from this opportunity.

Data indicates that most Indian students, nearly 166,000, are pursuing master's degrees or other advanced qualifications. Many have moved to states such as California, Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, and Texas.

The US Embassy in India has also issued a record number of student visas between June and August this year. A total of 95,269 visas in the F, M, and J categories were issued this year, up 18 percent compared to 2022 within the same period.

US higher education institutions hosted 1,057,188 international students in 2022/23, a 12 percent increase from the previous year and the fastest growth rate in 40 years. China remains the largest source of students in the US despite a 0.2 decline.