International students in US cross 1 million mark
Posted on: 15/Nov/2016 3:33:33 PM
There are over 1 million international students in the USA, a 7 per cent increase from last year. Data shows that one in six students is Indians.The rate of growth of Indian students was at 25 per cent in the year 2015-16. Indians make up 16 per cent of all international students at 1.7 lakh.
In 2015-16, the breakdown was: 11.6 percent undergraduate; 61.4 percent graduate; 1.5 percent other; 25.5 percent OPT, Optional Practical Training. Indian student population grew the fastest in US colleges, rising by 25 percent in 2015-16. Last year, these students contributed USD 5 billion to the American economy .
China remains the largest sender of international students to the US, with a 31.5 percent share in all international enrollments. Students from the top three senders, China, India, and Saudi Arabia--now represent approximately 53 percent of all international student enrollments.
Despite the rise in international students, Open Doors show that the gender gap among international students has widened slightly over the past two years. Overall, 43 percent students who went to the US during the 2015-16 academic year were women, down from 45 percent five years ago, likely because fewer women tend to study the science maths fields worldwide.
California hosted nearly 1.5 lakh international students in 2015-16, making it their top destination. Four of the top 20 host institutions were in California, with the University of Southern California ranking second, just behind New York University . New York is the second leading host state, and New York city is the leading host metropolitan area.
