More and more Americans opting India to pursue higher studies

Lalit K Jha

Washington, Nov 17 (PTI) It's not a one-way traffic
any more, though Indian students constitute the largest group
of foreign scholars in US, more and more Americans are also
heading to India to pursue higher studies.
According to figures released Monday, as many as 3,150
Americans went to India to study in the year 2007-08, which is
a jump of nearly 20 per cent from the previous year and
coincides with the growth of Indian economy and its emergence
as a regional and global player.
Overall, India is ranked 17th in the list of the Open
Doors 2009 topped by Britain with 33,333 students, Italy
(30,670); Spain (25,212); France (17,336) and China (13,165).
American nationals heading towards India is in tune
with the general trend witnessed in the US in the last few
years; wherein the number of such students has been on the
increase.
The study showed that the number of American studying
abroad has increased by 8.5 per cent to 262,416 in the 2007-08
academic year.
While the four countries that are perennial leaders
in hosting US students – United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and
France -- are in Western Europe, Open Doors reported that
fifteen of the top 25 destinations are outside of Western
Europe and nineteen are countries where English is not the
primary language.

In 2007-08, students electing to study in Africa
increased by 18 per cent, those going to Asia increased by 17
per cent, and those going to Latin America increased by 11
per cent.
This latest increase builds on decades of steady
growth, with four times as many US students participating in
study abroad in 2007-08 than in 1987-88.
Notable increases among leading destinations were in
the numbers students going to China, Ireland, Austria and
India (up about 20 per cent) as well as Costa Rica, Japan,
Argentina and South Africa (up nearly 15 per cent each).
Allan E Goodman, president and CEO of the Institute
of International Education, said, "More students are eager to
study in newly popular study destinations abroad such as
China, India, and the Middle East."
The language and cultural skills they acquire along
with their academic experience will have a profound effect on
their lives and careers.
This growth is fuelled in part by new program
opportunities, strategic partnerships between higher education
institutions in the United States and abroad, and a range of
fields and program durations that have expanded to accommodate
the needs of an increasingly diverse study abroad population,
a media statement said.
Open Doors is published annually by the Institute of
International Education with funding from the US Department of
State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. PTI LKJ

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