The number of Indian students pursuing higher education in the US fell by 13.2% in the academic year 2020-21, the highest drop in percentage points in more than a decade, according to the Open Doors Report 2021 released on Monday.
The total number of Indians studying in America fell from 1.93 lakh in 2019-20 to 1.67 lakh in the last academic year, with officials in the US Embassy attributing the dip to pandemic-induced disruption.
However, Indians continue to make up the second-largest cohort (18.3%) of international students in the US, after China (34.7%).
The academic year 2020-21 is the second consecutive year that saw a drop in the absolute number of Indians going to the US for higher education. In 2019-20, the number decreased from 2.02 lakh to 1.93 lakh. Before that, at least since 2014-15, the Indian student strength had been on the rise, albeit at a slower growth rate.
US embassy officials on Monday described the trends in the 2020-21 dataset as a “Covid blip”. Minister Counsellor for Consular Affairs at the embassy Donald Heflin said the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown posed major challenges, and raised safety concerns in the minds of parents whose children were to fly to the US for higher education, but efforts were made on both sides (US and India) to ensure a safe and comfortable transition for students.
“Despite the global pandemic, Indian students were able to apply for visas and travel to the US. We issued over 62,000 student visas this summer alone, more than in any previous year. This goes to show that the US remains the destination of choice for Indian students looking to study abroad,” he said.
The Open Doors report is released by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education.
