New Delhi: Over two lakh Indian students chose the United States as their higher education destination in the academic year 2021-22, up 19 per cent from last year.
According to the Open Doors report published by the Institute of International Education (IIE) released on Monday, about 21 per cent of the over one million foreign students studying in the United States are Indians. For the second year in a row, a record number of Indian students went to the US for higher education, it said.
Gloria Berbena, minister counselor for public diplomacy at the US embassy, said, “Congratulations to India for being the world leader in the number of students choosing the US. “It is clear that Indian students and their parents recognise the value of an American education, which prepares them to tackle the challenges of the world and for future opportunities, be it in the field of artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, or entrepreneurship and innovation etc,” Gloria Berbena said.
According to an embassy statement, the US State Department provides free counseling services to Indian students at ‘Education USA’ advisory centres in New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
Advisors from Education USA are employed in all centres, providing accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date information about study opportunities in the United States, helping Indian students choose the best course and set in 4,000 accredited US higher education institutions, the statement said.
IIE conducts an annual statistical survey on international students in the U.S. since its inception in 1919 and also reports on the number of Open Doors U.S. universities and international scholars in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since 1972.