Highlighting the growing demand for higher education in the United States, the Consular Team India interviewed 3900 student visa applicants during its 8th annual Student Visa Day today. As the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India anticipates continued increase in student visa applicants from India, they have expanded the student visa season for 2024 to meet this growing demand.
The number of Indians who choose to study in the United States has increased significantly in the past three years. In 2023, the U.S. Mission to India issued more student visas than in 2018, 2019, and 2020 combined. This unprecedented growth reflects the ongoing commitment by the U.S. Government to prioritize students and to facilitate their travel, even as the Mission met a 400 percent rise in demand for all other visas between 2021 and 2023.
“Every international student on a U.S. campus represents tremendous accomplishment – years of study and hard work that went into preparing for academic excellence. Like those who went before, today’s Indian students also represent tremendous potential – the knowledge you will unlock, the new skills and opportunities you will experience, and the relationships you will build are worth the investment. Each student is an ambassador for India. Together we are taking the U.S.-India relationship forward!” said Ambassador Eric Garcetti.
“Every international student on a U.S. campus represents tremendous accomplishment – years of study and hard work that went into preparing for academic excellence. Like those who went before, today’s Indian students also represent tremendous potential – the knowledge you will unlock, the new skills and opportunities you will experience, and the relationships you will build are worth the investment.”
Ambassador Eric Garcetti
The United States remains the number one higher education destination for Indian students, with studies showing 69 percent of Indian students prefer a U.S. education to any other destination. Indian students, already the largest group of international graduate students in the United States, go on to gain valuable real-world experience, receiving employment-based U.S. visas or becoming leaders in their fields here in India – reflecting the lifelong benefit of a U.S. education.
Indian students preparing to travel to the United States can learn about the student visa process by visiting bit.ly/EdUSAIndiaPDO24 and joining a pre-departure orientation (PDO) hosted by EducationUSA, the official source of information for higher education in the United States.
Mission India highlights the strong commitment to higher education in the United States and the growing educational ties between the United States and India by organizing robust programming for Student Visa Day, where Mission members and EducationUSA colleagues interact with applicants to share information on studying in the United States.