Why There Are So Many International Indian Students in the United States and Other Countries

India is the second-most populous country in the entire world with over 1.4 billion people. It is also home to the largest population of individuals under the age of 25, with around 600 million. That means there are millions of Indian students looking for post-secondary education opportunities. In this article, we’ll explain why there are so many Indian students in the United States and other countries, like Ukraine (until recently).

Indian Students in the USA and Other Countries

With so many young Indians looking for chances to pursue higher education, the result is stringent competition to get into college in India. Additionally, attending college in India can be unaffordable to some students, further limiting their college education prospects. 

However, many Indian students hunger for higher education to better their standing in life. So much so that many are willing to go to another country, learn a new language, and study professional and technical courses in that language. According to the Government of India, over half a million Indian students study in 86 countries. 

This is especially true in the United States, where there are over 200,000 international Indian students—that’s 40% or more of all international Indian students. Another reason these students choose to pursue education outside of India is that there are many different scholarships for Indian and Asian students to study in the U.S. and other countries. This makes college more affordable and is ultimately worth all of the effort involved in moving to a new country and learning a new language.

Other popular destinations for Indian students seeking a college education are Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries, including Ukraine. In fact, until Russia’s invasion, nearly 20,000 Indian students attended universities in Ukraine—mainly to study medicine, dentistry, and nursing.

However, many of these young scholars have been impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and one student was killed in the conflict. Others remained trapped in Ukraine and neighboring countries, trying to flee the war while urging Indian officials for help with evacuation. 

At Tiyara, we seek to provide educational opportunities that will make life-changing differences for under-resourced young women and men in India, equipping them to pursue professional and skilled employment. Some of these young women and men have had their lives changed by crime, others’ families are often discriminated against, and some are from indigenous populations. 

You can help make a difference by providing technology for our students, other education-related costs, or by putting a deserving young person through college!