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Why Indian Students go to the USA

Did you know that 83,833 Indian students traveled to the US in 2007 for higher education studies? I had no idea the number was that high. Turns out, it has been going up every year for at least a decade.

Why?

1. Couldn’t get into IIT

As you probably know, IIT is one of the most respected institutions in the world for engineering. But last year they only admitted 3500 new students, and 350,000 applied! What are the unlucky 346,500 students going to do?

Quite a lot of them look to study in the United States. The good news is that tuition and other fees are not really that much higher. The US School Finder is a good tool if you are looking for universities or colleges and want them to contact you with more information.

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American students celebrating
Holi on an Illinois campus.
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2. Cultural Experience

Going to university doesn’t have to be just about books & grades! These are very formative times in your life, and there’s nothing like going abroad to expand your horizons.

For instance, there is a lot more to American food than McDonald’s and Dominos Pizza!

Keep in mind that the United States is a diverse country, with lots of different cultural opportunities. Studying at Eastern Illinois University would be a lot different than, say, studying at the University of Minesota. These institutions and many more will send you more information about their campus life if you select them in the University & College Finder.

3. Liberal Arts

As India’s economy and middle class booms, the higher education system struggles to keep up. New institutions tend to focus on engineering and business because they are most in demand. But what about the other majors? India has particularly little capacity for libral arts degrees, so the only choice is to look abroad.

The US has hundreds of excellent liberal arts schools, such as the University of Minesota – Moris. You can apply to this an other schools in the US School Finder.

4. Career Opportunities

Studying abroad is not only a fun cultural experience, its very useful professionally! Employers around the world respect degrees from US institutions more than from any other country.

There are hundreds of programs available in the University Program Directory that will propel you into the career you and your parents are dreaming.

pearl
  • Authority 25
Post Body
pearl said:

a few points in this lesson are appreciable but a few r simply preposterous . india has the best education system in the world.only the rich ppl. can send their children to study abroad from here because its not only a matter of tution fees and all but rest of the spendature also needs to be counted only a fraction of very brilliant students are take by american institutions, this ,from my point of view is very wrong as this is only encouraging more and more brain drain.there r many private good institutions opening uup in india so mostly ppl join them if they dont get into iit .

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
sangitagoel
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sangitagoel said:

yes pearl is right…there aremany othe expenditures also

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
aroonmyself
  • Authority 49
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aroonmyself said:

yes, what pearl said is correct, Usa is encouraging braindrain , they r helping only who r more talented. They r lignoring other people

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
aritdas
  • Authority 158
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aritdas said:

Good lesson !

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
BillElliott
  • Authority 77
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BillElliott said:

We have a large Indian population at our school, and one of the reasons I hear of why they chose to study in the US is the opportunity to work and gain experience in their field before returning to India. CPT and OPT work approval is a good source of major-related work experience, and it allows a student at least one year(and now a 17-month extension to that) to gain the experience they can use to get a better job upon returning home.

As far as brain-drain goes, it’s a valid point that many people who choose to study in the US want to remain and work after completing their programs. However, I think it would be incorrect to say that US schools are encouraging only the “best and brightest” students to apply. The US education system is known for being open and welcome to students of varying degrees of ability, and provides the tutoring and support services that students need to be successful.

Options are beginning to open up for loans and other financial support that were previously not available to the average student. A year ago I met in Washington DC with the educational attache at the Indian Embassy, and he talked about the fact that banks were beginning to offer loans for students wishing to study outside India. This development seems to indicate that students of average monetary support might now be able to consider studying in the US.

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  • Posted 2 months ago.
JohnPhilipGreen
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JohnPhilipGreen said in response to:
BillElliott
BillElliott’s post:
Citation Body

We have a large Indian population at our school, and one of the reasons I hear of why they chose to study in the US is the opportunity to work and gain experience in their field before returning to India. CPT and OPT work approval is a good source of major-related work experience, and it allows a student at least one year(and now a 17-month extension to that) to gain the experience they can use to get a better job upon returning home.

As far as brain-drain goes, it’s a valid point that many people who choose to study in the US want to remain and work after completing their programs. However, I think it would be incorrect to say that US schools are encouraging only the “best and brightest” students to apply. The US education system is known for being open and welcome to students of varying degrees of ability, and provides the tutoring and support services that students need to be successful.

Options are beginning to open up for loans and other financial support that were previously not available to the average student. A year ago I met in Washington DC with the educational attache at the Indian Embassy, and he talked about the fact that banks were beginning to offer loans for students wishing to study outside India. This development seems to indicate that students of average monetary support might now be able to consider studying in the US.

Its great to hear the perspective from an international student recruiter with so much experience with Indian students. Thanks Bill!

I’m curious, what Eastern Illinois programs are most interesting to the Indian students you’ve helped?

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  • Posted 2 months ago.
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