The persistent depreciation of the rupee in 2012-13 affected Indian students who wanted to study abroad. The number of Indian students studying in United States has dropped by 3.5% compared to the previous year, marking three consecutive years of decline, said the ‘Open Doors 2013’ report on international students to be released in Washington DC on Monday.
About 96,750 Indian students were studying in the US in 2012-13 as against 1,00,270 in 2011-12. The number was 1,03,895 in 2010-11, a decline by 1% from the previous year, the report stated. However, the number of Chinese students has increased by a whopping 21.4% within a year, further up from the previous year.
The comprehensive report is prepared annually by Institute of International Education along with Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State.
Despite reports of a slump in global economy, the number of international students in the United States grew by 9.8% this year, the highest in four years. These 8.19 lakh international students, in 2012-13, poured $24 billion in the US economy.
India had been the leading place of origin for international students in the US from 2001-02 through 2008-09. After this period, China took over and maintained the lead.
“It is getting more expensive for Indian students to study outside their country due to decreases in the value of the rupee. However, there is every indication that those who do study abroad continue to see the United States as their first choice,” said Rajika Bhandari, IIEs deputy vice-president for research and evaluation. The slowdown in the Indian economy has also made it difficult for students to raise the necessary funds.
Allan Goodman, IIE president, said, “Building stronger people-to-people ties is a cornerstone of US foreign policy in India. Along with two US-India higher education dialogues, innovative models of higher education partnerships were being explored on both sides to expand joint programmes, faculty and student exchange.”
“We are also working on a Passport to India initiative, which aims to dramatically expand the number of American students in India through public-private-partnerships,” said Goodman.
Meanwhile, the number of US students coming to India has increased by 5%. In 2011-12, 4,345 American students were studying in India. In 2012-13, the number grew to 4,593. More than 14,800 US students choose China for higher education, a 2% increase from last year. Nearly 283,000 American students leave home country to study abroad and their three topmost choices are UK, Italy and Spain.
Course-wise breakdown of Indian students
13.2% Undergraduate
56.4% Graduate students
1.6% Other
28.8% Optional Practical Training.
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