Surpassing China, India topped the chart of international graduate students traveling to the United States in the academic year 2022-23. In the process, the country registered sending not only a record number of students to the Land of Liberty for three years on the trot to pursue higher studies but also ended up posting an all-time high of nearly 2.69 lakh students moving to that country for education in the same period.

According to the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors Report (ODR), which conducts annual census of international students in USA in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for over half a century years now, Indian students surpassed their Chinese counterparts for seats in American institutions the first time in since 2009-10. The report, published on Monday, states that the number of international students from India to the United States increased by 35 percent and resulted in an all-time high of 268,923 students in academic year 2022-23. Currently, Indian students constitute more than 25 percent of the over one million foreign students studying in the United States.

The biggest footfall on the shores of America, the ODR states, came from Indian graduate students whose numbers rose by 63 percent to 165,936 students, an increase of nearly 64,000 students compared to last year. The number of Indian undergraduate students also increased by 16 percent in that corresponding time period, the report confirmed.

Interestingly, ODR data confirms that China recorded a 0.2 percent fall in its number of international students to the US in the 2022-23 academic year although, at slightly over 2.89 lakh students, India’s northern neighbour continues to have a marginally higher number of students than India in the United States in the total number of travelling students.

ODR data also showed India leading in the number of individuals (69,062) who pursued optional practical training (OPT), a type of temporary work permission that allows eligible students to get real-world experience related to their field of study.

“The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India issued record high numbers of student visas during the main student visa season of June-August 2023. Consular officers across India issued 95,269 visas in the F, M, and J categories. This is an 18 percent increase over 2022 during the same timeframe,” a communication from the US state department read.

“You did it, India! Each and every Indian student in the United States and the families supporting their success deserve recognition for this achievement,” remarked Eric Garcetti, US Ambassador to India. “The decision to study abroad, and your choice of the United States, represents a valuable investment by you and your families. You are bringing our countries closer together and leading us towards a bright future,” he added.

“We celebrate the strength of the Indian educational system that prepares students to compete globally and look forward to seeing India continue to lead. We also look forward to balancing these record numbers. We want to see equal numbers of women pursuing studies in the United States and see more U.S. students coming to experience all that India has to offer,” the American diplomat said.