Fewer Indian Students Going To U.S.; China Surges Ahead

Bangalore: Fewer Indian students are now studying in the U.S., says a new study. The number of students from India in the U.S. fell for the second successive year. However, there was a rise of Chinese students among an overall increase of foreign students going to America, reported Chidanand Rajghatta for TNN.

The number of Indian students in the U.S. in 2011-2012 was recorded at 100,270, which was around 105,000 in 2009, a drop of 3.5 percent, said the annual ''Open Doors'' survey of international students in U.S. On the other hand the number of students from China shot up from 157,558 in 2010-2011 to 194,029 in 2011-2012, a 23 percent increase.

As per the study the factors behind the decline in the numbers from countries such as India and Japan may be global and home country economic issues, growing higher education opportunities at home, and stronger employment opportunities at home country after graduation.

Further, the overall number of foreign students in the U.S. in 2011-2012 was 764,495, up from 723,277 the previous year, showing a 5.7 percent increase. This is because U.S. universities are attempting to attract more international students in what the U.S. Commerce Department estimates is a $ 22.7 billion bonus for the American economy.

The survey revealed that that more than 70 percent of all international students get the majority of their funds from sources outside of the U.S., including personal and family sources and assistance from their home country governments or universities.