A first in 15 yrs, Indian students outnumber Chinese in US

For the first time in 15 years, Indian students have outnumbered their Chinese counterparts in the US for the 2023-24 academic year. According to the recently released Open Doors 2024 report, 3.31 lakh Indian students are now enrolled in the US institutions, constituting 29.4% of the country’s total 11 lakh international student population. This marks a rise from the 25.4% share reported the previous year.

In contrast, the number of Chinese students in the US has decreased to 2.74 lakh during the same period. Since 2009, Indian student numbers in the US have nearly tripled, increasing from 1,04,897 to 3,31,602 in 2024. By comparison, Chinese student numbers have almost doubled, rising from 1,27,628 in 2009 to 2,77,328 in 2024.

Indian students now represent a major proportion of the international student community across most Western countries and are a key demographic in the US’s global student base. Together, students from India and China account for a dominant 54% share of international enrollments in the US, up from 52.8% the previous year.

South Korea, Canada and Taiwan remain among the leading contributors of international students to the US, with 43,149, 28,998, and 23,157 students, respectively, according to the latest figures.

Among Indian students, Mathematics and Computer Science remain the most popular fields of study, with 42.9% pursuing these disciplines in 2023-24, up from 41.2% the previous year.