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3.63 lakh Indian students studying in US in 2024–25: Open Doors Report
India overtook China in 2023–24 to become the largest source of international students in the US for the first time in 15 years
India has retained its position as the largest source of international students in the US for the second consecutive year in 2024–25, surpassing China even as early indicators point to a sharp decline of 17% in overall new international student enrolments in fall 2025, following a 7% drop in fall 2024 amidst ongoing visa uncertainties in the US, according to the latest Open Doors 2025 report released on Monday.
According to the report, a total of 363,019 Indian students were studying in the US in academic year 2024–25, a 9.5% jump from the previous year’s 331,602. Indians now account for 30.8% of all 1,117,766 international students in the country. China sent 265,919 students to the US in 2024-25, marking a 4% drop from the previous year and its lowest total in at least eight years.
Indian student growth in the US was fuelled by an 11.3% rise in undergraduate enrolments, which increased from 36,053 in 2023–24 to 40,135 in 2024–25, and 47.3% surge in participation in Optional Practical Training (OPT), jumping from 97,556 to 143,740 students, accounting for more than a third of all Indian students in the US, reflecting a strong preference for work-based training and pathways to employment.
However, there has been a 9.5% decline in graduate enrolments dropping from 196,567 to 177,892. Non-degree enrolments also dipped by 12.2%, falling from 1,426 to 1,252.
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“Over the last three years, there has been an increase in graduate student enrolment from India, and many of those students are now becoming eligible for OPT, thereby increasing OPT enrolment. Indian graduate enrollment this year is stabilizing, though noting that this is at much higher levels than ever before” IIE said in response to HT’s queries on Indian student enrolments.
India overtook China in 2023–24 to become the largest source of international students in the US for the first time in 15 years. Together, India and China accounted for 53.4% of all international students in the US in 2024-25. The next top senders were South Korea (42,293), Canada (29,903), Taiwan (25,584) and Nepal (24,890).
The Open Doors report is published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and considered as the leading source of data on international students in the US and US students studying abroad.
US colleges and universities hosted 1.2 million (1,177,766) international students in the 2024-2025 academic year, a 4.5% increase from 1,126,690 in 2023-24, the report said adding that international students accounted for 6% of the total US higher education population of 19,247,640 as the country “remains the top destination for international students globally.”
However, the number of new international students—those enrolling in a US-based college or university for the first time in fall 2024—fell by 7.2% to 2,77,118 from 2,98,705 in the previous year.
Though the Open Doors 2025 report covers the academic year 2024-25, based on the fall semester, approximately from August to December 2024, it has provided a “snapshot” of fall 2025, offering early trends on international students enrolments for the 2025-26 academic year.
“New enrolments, international students studying at their US college or university for the first time in fall 2025, decreased by 17%. Many institutions are continuing to focus on international student recruitment, citing the value of international students’ perspectives on campus (81%) and their financial contributions (60%),” IIE said in a statement. Over 825 US higher education institutions participated in the fall 2025 snapshot.
In response to a HT query about drop in Indian students enrolment in fall 2025, IIE said,
“We do not have data in the fall 2025 snapshot by country of origin, and therefore, cannot comment on this.”
The fall semester in the US, which begins in August–September, is the primary intake for international students and typically records the highest enrolments each year.
Across all academic levels, 57% of international students in 2024-25 enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programmes in the US.
