Indian students form the highest number of international students in the US: Consular officials

Students from Telugu States more than 50% of the total Indian students in the US; American students coming to India also increasing, officials of the US Consulate in Hyderabad said

It’s not just Indian students who are keen on going to the US for higher studies. The number of American students coming to India has also registered a 300% increase. The numbers may be comparatively small in the latter case but they are growing, say Consular Chief inn the U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad Rebekah Drame and Consulate Public Affairs Officer Alexander McLaren.

The officers of thhe US Consulate were in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday to engage with the local communities and promoting educational exchanges as part of the International Education Week.

India is the leading country of origin for international students in the United States, sending the largest number of international graduate (master’s and PhD-level) students to the US. Nearly half of the 3.30 lakh Indian international students, who went to the US for higher studies during 2023-24, are from the two Telugu States. The number of American students in India has also increased, rising to 1,355 this year from 336 in the previous year, representing a 303.3% increase, they said.

Ms. Rebekah said that the Consular District (Telangana, A.P. and Odisha), served by the U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad, had facilitated 47,000 student visa interviews in Hyderabad this year as against 35,000 student visa interviews conducted last year, representing a 25% increase.

In the calendar year 2024, Hyderabad U.S. Citizen Services processed over 5,500 services, including both routine and complex Special Consular Services. This was the second highest productivity in Mission India after Chennai.

She said that the number of staff at the Consulate in Hyderabad, have doubled in the last few years. The number of staff was planned to be trebled in early 2025. The goal of the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad was to ensure that all first-time student visa applicants were able to secure an interview to facilitate legitimate travel by streamlining the visa process.

Replying to a query on the recent increase in the incidents of deaths of Indian students in the U.S., Mr. Alexander described it as ‘tragic’ and felt it could be due to the growing number of Indian students. The other factors might include: cultural differences in India and the USA, climate, feelings of isolation and depression.

“Indians are mostly going to the US for higher studies in medicine, science and technology, engineering and mathematics,” he said in reply to another query.

The ‘American Corner’ in Andhra University is doing very good in helping the students, he said in response to another query.

Published - November 19, 2024 04:26 pm IST