Significant drop in Indian students to US and overseas |
Reports say that there is a significant drop in the number of Indian students opting to go to the US for higher education. There is an overall drop of students going overseas by nearly 15% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
A number of reasons are assigned to the decline in the number of Indian students choosing the USA for studies. But, two primary reasons are the depreciation of the Rupee against the US Dollar and perhaps the change in USA President to Donald Trump whose immigration policies are confusing and confounding students and their families.
Christopher Clary, Associate Professor at the University at Albany, is quoted in a report saying that 11% drop in students going to USA in 2024 versus 2023 should concern universities and policymakers. The United States had only 204,058 Indian students enrolling in 2024 versus 234,473 in 2023. Earnings from Indian students contribute to the bottom line of universities. Generally the cream of the crop of Indian students opt to go to the USA which implies that the USA will not get at least students who typically excel in science, technology, engineering, medicine and innovation. The professor has sounded a warning bell. Indian Parliament was told during the session on 17 March 2025 that 15% fewer Indian students opted to go abroad. The decline is nearly 150,000 students, down from 892,989 in 2023 to 759,064 in 2024. Canada lost out the most due to the political standoff between India and that country. Indian student numbers fell by 41%. Indian students to the UK came down by nearly 28%, from 136,921 in 2023 to 98,890 in 2024. In the case of UK, it is clearly the stricter visa regulations and the inability to pursue work post studies. For Indian students going to Australia, the number dropped by 12%, from 78,093 in 2023 to 68,572 in 2024. Reasons could be higher visa fees, stricter eligibility requirements, and higher accommodation and living expenses.
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