Nearly two lakh Indian students chose the US as their destination to pursue higher education in the 2019-20 academic year, according to the Open Doors Report released by the US embassy on Monday.

Indian students comprised nearly 20 per cent of the over one million students from around the world, and the US has seen a steady increase in the number of undergraduate students from India, the report stated.

“Over the last 10 years, the number of Indians studying in the United States has roughly doubled, and we know why the US is the gold standard for higher education, providing practical application and experience that gives our graduates an advantage in the global economy,” said minister counsellor for public affairs David Kennedy. To assist Indian students, the US department of state offers advising services to prospective students through seven EducationUSA advising centres throughout India — in New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

“Early next year, a second EducationUSA Centre is opening in Hyderabad hosted by Y-Axis Foundation. All centres are staffed by EducationUSA advisers who offer accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date information about opportunities to study in the US, helping Indian students find the best programme and the right fit from among the 4,500 accredited higher-education institutions in the US,” an embassy statement said.

Students seeking additional facts about studying in the US can download the EducationUSA India app, available for free on iOS and Android devices, it said. “At the click of a button, the app provides the latest information about the college application process and is a quick and easy first step to planning higher education in the US,” it said.