India continues to be the top country of origin for international scholars pursuing scholarly related activities in the United States behind only China.
According to the latest Open Doors report, Indians make up for 16 percent of total international students in the academic year 2022-2023, while China accounted for 19 percent.
In the academic year 2022-23, the US hosted a total of 102,366 international scholars, marking a notable 12.6 percent increase from the preceding year. Among these scholars, Indians totaling 16,068 individuals, saw an 8.2 percent rise from 2021-22.
The Chinese student numbers grew by just 0.9 percent for the same year. “This rebound surpassed the number of Indian scholars before the pandemic and reflected the highest levels of international scholars from India,” the report stated.
The report found that 76 percent of international scholars are engaged in research, followed by teaching (9 percent), research and teaching combined (7 percent), clinical work (4 percent), and other activities (4 percent).
In terms of specialization, the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) attract the highest number of students, with 78 percent pursuing these disciplines. They also include agriculture (5 percent), engineering (15 percent), and mathematics and computer science (6 percent).
Within the STEM category, physical and life sciences account for approximately 40 percent of students, representing the largest subset among both STEM disciplines and overall fields.
Harvard University boasts the largest number of international students, with 4,478 enrollments, followed by Stanford University (3,314), Columbia University (2,925), Yale University (2,587), and the University of California - Los Angeles (2,348).
The majority of international scholars in the US were present for durations ranging from six months to one year (18 percent) or one year to three years (38 percent). There has been a notable increase in the proportion of international scholars staying for less than six months, rising by 6 percentage points from 13 to 19 percent of the population. This trend is likely attributed to the ongoing relaxation of COVID-19 travel restrictions and fewer institutions suspending new international scholar appointments.
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