India has become the top sender of international students for the first time since 2008-09 with over 331,602 students studying in the United States and more students enrolling for international graduate (Master’s and PhD level) for the second year.

The number of Indian international students in the US increased from 2,68,923 in 2022-2023 to 331,602 in 2023-24, an increase of 23%.

Graduate students increased from 165,936 in 2022-23 to 196,567 in 2023-24, a 19% increase, followed by undergraduate students from 31,954 in 2022-23 to 36,053 in 2023-24, an increase of 13%. The number of non-degree students experienced a 28 percent decrease to 1,426 students in 2023-24 from 1971 in 2022-23.

The number of Indian students on OPT (optional practical training)  jumped to 97,556 in 2023-2024 from 69,062 in 2022-23, an increase of 41 percent.  

These are the findings of Open Doors Report, highlighted by U.S. Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti at the launch of International Education Week (IEW) Monday.   

The increase of Indian students choosing US for higher education over the last two years underlines their interest in advanced academic and professional opportunities.

In 2023-24, the US saw an  all-time high of 1.12 million (1,126,690) international students  from over 210 countries and places of origin.

At the same time, there is also a significant increase in the number of American students in India  from 336 in 2021-22 to 1,355 in 2022-23, representing a 303.3 percent increase.

The John Hopkins University Gupta-Klinsky India Institute and the U.S.-India Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment  also launched  'Women in STEMM Fellowship' (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) for Women’s Economic Empowerment, aimed at supporting and empowering early career women scientists and researchers in India to become leaders in their STEMM fields.

“The launch of the 'Woman in STEMM Fellowship' coinciding with International Education Week  marks the celebration of the shared belief that education is not confined by borders, and that collaboration between our countries and institutions is the key to solving global challenges’ said Garcetti.

The U.S. Consulate General Mumbai and the University of Denver will also  launch a free “Digital Guide on Internationalization: Simplifying U.S.-India Higher Education Institution (HEI) Collaboration and Partnerships.” This guide will provide Indian colleges and universities with information about the U.S. educational system, resources for internationalizing their campuses by partnering with U.S. colleges and universities, best practices for successful collaborations, the importance of DEIA in recruitment, and ways to build different types of partnerships in areas like student and faculty exchanges, curriculum development, research and data sharing etc, etc.