'A warning sign': US professor on 11% drop in Indian students heading to US in 2024

A decline in Indian students studying in the United States should be a cause for concern for US universities and policymakers, according to Christopher Clary, Associate Professor at the University at Albany.

“The drop in Indian students studying in the US by 11% from 2023 to 2024 should be a cause for concern for US universities and policymakers. I suspect some of it is a depreciating rupee against the dollar, some policy uncertainty ahead of Trump. But it’s a warning sign,” Clary wrote on X.

According to data presented in Parliament on Monday, the number of Indian students going abroad declined by nearly 15% in 2024 compared to the previous year. In 2023, 8,92,989 Indian students were pursuing education overseas, but the number fell to 7,59,064 in 2024. The sharpest decline was seen in Canada, where Indian student numbers dropped 41% from 2,33,532 in 2023 to 1,37,608 in 2024.

The United States witnessed a 12.9% drop, with 204,058 Indian students enrolling in 2024 compared to 2,34,473 in 2023. Experts attribute this decline to uncertainties surrounding former President Donald Trump’s policies and a weakened rupee against the dollar.

The United Kingdom saw a 27.7% decline, from 1,36,921 in 2023 to 98,890 in 2024, likely due to stricter visa regulations and post-study work policies.

In Australia, the number of Indian students fell by 12%, from 78,093 in 2023 to 68,572 in 2024, largely due to higher visa fees, stricter eligibility requirements, and housing affordability concerns.

The most significant drop was in Canada, where tightened student visa regulations, increased rejection rates, and permit cancellations led to a 41% fall in Indian student numbers.