Registering an unprecedented growth of nearly 30 per cent last year, a record 132,888 Indian students are now studying in the US, making an estimated contribution of more than $3.6 billion to the American economy, a report said.

While China remains the top country of origin of international students in the US, increasing by 11 per cent to 304,040, India's growth outpaced China's this year, with students from India increasing by 29.4 per cent to a record high of 132,888, said the latest Open DoorsReport on International Educational Exchange.

This is the highest rate of growth for Indian students in the history of the Open Doors project, which spans back to 1954-55, said the report published by the Institute of International Education.

The last time India grew at a comparable rate (29.1) was in 2000-01 when the number of students from India exceeded 50,000 for the first time, it said.

In 2014-15, China and India together accounted for 67 per cent of the increase in international students, and they now constitute nearly 45 per cent of the total number of international students in US higher education, it said.

The report found that the number of international students at US colleges and universities had the highest rate of growth in 35 years, increasing by 10 per cent to a record high of 974,926 students in the 2014-15 academic year.

In all, the US hosts more of the world's 4.5 million globally mobile college and university students than any other country in the world, almost double the number hosted by the UK, the second leading host country. We are excited to see that record numbers of students are taking advantage of international education opportunities, said Assistant Secretary of State Evan Ryan.

This week, the State Department will roll out a new website to help American students find global opportunities that will prepare them to compete in the global economy. Noting that in the 2014-15 academic year, 132,888 students from India were studying in the US (up 29.4 per cent from the previous year), the report said India is the second leading place of origin for students coming to the US, comprising 13.6 per cent of the total international students in the US.

The majority of Indian students in the US study at the graduate level. In 2014-15, 12.4 per cent were undergraduate students, 64 per cent graduate, 1.4 per cent others and 22.1 per cent Optional Practical Training. Last year, Indian students in US colleges and universities contributed $3.6 billion to the US economy, the report said, citing figures from the US Department of Commerce.

(PTI)

