Press Releases 2008
Indian Students Again Top Foreign Enrollments at U.S. Universities
November 17, 2008
New Delhi – The Institute of International Education today released its Open Doors 2008 report, showing that the number of Indian students at U.S. colleges and universities had another all time high during the 2007-2008 academic year – reaching a total of 94,563 students, a 12.8% increase.
Since 2001, Indians have been the largest foreign student population on American campuses, comprising 15.2 % of the total international students in the United States.
Students from around the world are increasingly choosing the U.S. for their higher educations. Open Doors 2008 shows that the total number of international students at U.S. colleges and universities increased by 7% to a record high of 623,805 in the 2007-2008 academic year. Open Doors also reported that the number of American students in India has been growing rapidly, although the numbers remain relatively small in comparison -- 2,627 American students studied in India during the 2006-2007 academic year, a 24% increase.
According to Adam Grotsky, Executive Director of the United States – India Educational Foundation, “The U.S. remains the preferred destination for students from India who want to study abroad. Indian students feel welcome in the United States as American students do in India. Year after year we see a growing interest in collaborations between U.S. and Indian educational institutions, reflecting the reality of the links already established by students and growing between our two nations.”
The Open Doors report is published by the Institute of International Education, the leading not-for-profit educational and cultural exchange organization in the United States. IIE has conducted an annual statistical survey of the international students in the United States since 1949, and with support from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs since the early 1970s. The census is based on a survey of close to 3,000 accredited U.S. institutions. Open Doors also reports on surveys on international scholars at U.S. universities; international students enrolled in pre-academic Intensive English Programs; and on U.S. students studying abroad (since 1985). A full press kit and further details on the Open Doors 2008 surveys and their findings can be accessed on www.opendoors.iienetwork.org, and the full 104 page report can be ordered for $59.95 from IIE Books at www.iiebooks.org.