Record Number of US Visas to Be Issued to Indian Students in 2024

There has been a year-on-year growth in the total number of US study visas issued for Indian students, from over 96,000 in 2021 and 133,000 in 2022, to more than 140,000 in 2023.

“The number of students from India to the US is continuously growing. We are also really proud to say that every first time student who wanted a visa appointment got it, something we weren’t able to achieve in the past,” Brenda Soya, public affairs officer at the US Consulate General in Mumbai, told The PIE News.

“Mumbai itself has had more student visa interviews than anywhere else in the world,” she added, speaking at the EducationUSA fair in Mumbai on August 24.

Despite a quarter of international students in the US coming from India, the majority of them are male students, with women making up about one third of all Indian students studying in the US.

This is despite a recent survey stating that most Indian women who wish to study abroad want to go to the US.

“There are still fewer female students than men in the US from India, and that’s something we are trying to figure out. The reason could be that most of them are going for STEM, and traditionally more men join the courses,” stated Soya.

“There are statistically more women on US campuses, so if you are a woman from India you are part of the top half of the majority, which should be comforting.”

{snip}

US universities, which saw a 35% growth in Indian students in 2022/23 compared to 2021/22, are catering to a different market from the one they were used to just a few years ago.

While data seen by The PIE suggests that 76% of students from India are still pursuing STEM majors, more students are enquiring about non-STEM programs.

“I am seeing more interest in courses like Social Sciences than before. Earlier when I was here, the queries were mostly about engineering, computer science, and business courses,” said Jason Cronk, director of recruitment and financial aid, University of Pennsylvania GSE.

“Students are also preferring careers in public policy, counselling, and teaching. I used to spend a lot of time educating students on what a masters degree looks like, now I am seeing that students are more informed.”

{snip}