Mumbai, Hyderabad considered ‘low income cities’.

By The American Bazaar Staff

WASHINGTON, DC: Students from Mumbai and Hyderabad who studied in the US on F-1 visas over a period of five years, from 2008-2012, contributed a whopping $1.3 billion plus to the economy as they pursued their academic interests, says a new report by the think tank, The Brookings Institution, on Friday.

Over the 2001-2012 period, foreign students on F-1 visas paid $56.5 billion in tuition fees and $39.1 billion in living expenses to study in the United States. Foreign students pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees contributed approximately 70 percent of that total.

Seoul, considered an upper middle income city according to the report, contributed the most tuition dollars ($1.3 billion) and living expenses ($781.7 million) from 56,500 students over the 2008-2012 period.

Over the same five-year period, Beijing, Shanghai, Mumbai and Hyderabad made up the remaining top five cities, each contributing between $650 million and $2.0 billion in total educational spending.

Interestingly, in the list of top 10 cities that contributed most to the US economy via students who came to study, only Mumbai and Hyderabad are considered less than middle class.

It may come as an affront to Mumbaikers, but of the 10 cities in the list, it’s considered to be a ‘low income city.’ Hyderabad is a rung lower, as it’s considered a ‘very low income city’.

After Seoul, Beijing comes in close at no. 2, having contributed more than $2 billion over the 5-year period, followed by Shanghai (more than $1.1 billion), then Mumbai and Hyderabad, followed by Taipei (more than $608 billion); Riyadh (more than $517 billion); Hong Kong (more than $514 billion); Singapore (more than $381 billion), and Nanjing (more than $367 billion).

Only Singapore is considered a ‘very high income city’. Taipei and Hong Kong are considered ‘very high income city’.