Increase In Indian Student Visas To The USA

There has been a robust 40% increase in applications of student visas to the US when compared to 2013. India now sends the second highest number of students to the US next to China. Speaking at the inauguration of a Universities Fair held at Chennai recently, Consul General Philip Min was happy to announce that there were over one lakh Indian students studying in US universities. And most of them were enrolled in the STEM subjects- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

The US Consulate in Chennai recorded a sharp increase of 60% from 5000 on F1 student visas in a 6 month time frame between 2012-2013. US consulates in Mumbai and New Delhi also recorded robust increases, proving that the enchantment towards acquiring a degree in the US hasn’t waned though there are other countries enticing them.

24 US universities participated in the fair offering both post graduate and undergraduate courses. The surprising factor in recent fairs has been the increasing interest among school students wanting to pursue their higher education in America.

Maya Sundararajan, regional officer of USIEF (United States India Education Foundation) says, students are now keen to pursue multidisciplinary approach offered in the American Universities along with their regular courses. Those who have an interest in fine arts, humanities, sports like to team up their regular subjects with any of these subjects and fulfill their innate desires.

The second interesting news is that many of these students are now targeting getting into community colleges, in the hope of getting into a better university (and avoiding competition) in the same state by maintaining a good GPA (Grade Point Average) between 2 and six.

Finally an increase in female applicants about 24%, keen to pursue their studies in the US shows India is well into the global righteous path of the term developed rather than developing, after all.

News Source: The New Indian Express, Career India, Visa Reporter