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Indian students flock to US universities in record numbers, for brighter prospects, overseas jobs: ‘we value education’
- As India’s economy grows, unemployment persists, even among college graduates, so many Indian students see universities as a stepping stone to careers abroad
- India estimates 1.5 million students are studying at universities elsewhere – an eightfold increase since 2012 – with no country attracting more than the US
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Pranay Karkale is spending years of savings and US$60,000 in student loans to pursue a master’s degree in the United States, yet he considers himself lucky. At home in India, it’s common to hear about families selling their land to send children to universities overseas.
Karkale was willing to do whatever it took once he got into Johns Hopkins University. A degree from a prestigious US college, he believed, would open doors to a better job and higher pay than he would find in India.
“I don’t feel like I would have gotten the same level of education that I get here,” said Karkale, 23.
Historic numbers of students from India are studying at foreign universities as a fast-growing, aspirational generation of young people looks for opportunities they cannot find at home. India estimates 1.5 million students are studying at universities elsewhere – an eightfold increase since 2012 – with no country attracting more than the US.
It represents a loss for India, with many students seeing universities as stepping stones for careers overseas, but a boon for American schools. As record-setting enrolment by students from China has ebbed, US universities have turned to India as a new source of full-price tuition payments.
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