IN 2024 India overtook China as the biggest source of tuition paying students with 3,31,602 students securing visas to study in the US, representing a 23 percent increase over the previous year. Indian enrolments increased primarily at the graduate level, reported The Times of India, accounting for 19 percent of the total student emigrants that year. Interestingly, those who had completed some course of education and stayed on for Optional Practical Training (OPT) accounted for as much as 41 percent of tuition paying Indian students. Taken together Indian students reportedly spent up to US$ 11.8 billion in 2023.

“You did it, India!”, declared US ambassador Eric Garcetti, welcoming this enthusiasm in India for overseas education in the US. “The decision to study abroad, and your choice of the United States, represents a valuable investment by you and your families. ..... We celebrate the strength of the Indian educational system that prepares students to compete globally and look forward to seeing India continue to lead.”