Indian students surge 11.8% in US, now 27% of all foreign enrolments: ICE report

Indian students accounted for 27% of all foreign students in the US in 2024, marking an 11.8% increase from the previous year, according to the latest annual report by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).

The report, released last week, showed that 4,22,335 Indian students were actively enroled in US institutions in 2024, contributing to a total of 1.58 million international students — a 5.3% rise from 2023.

It also revealed that 1,65,524 foreign students participated in the post-completion STEM OPT extension program, with India (48%) and China (20.4%) representing the largest shares.

While India saw an over 11% surge in student numbers, China (3,29,541 students) recorded a slight decline of 0.25% compared to 2023. India’s 27% share of the total foreign student population exceeds China’s 20%.

ASIA DOMINATES FOREIGN STUDENT POPULATION IN US

Asia accounted for the largest number of active foreign student records in America, with 11,34,953 overseas students, making up 71.7% of the foreign student population in the US, the ICE report stated.

Roughly, 91% of all foreign students were enrolled in an SEVP-certified associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral program.

Specifically, foreign students in the US pursued 14,34,748 degrees in higher education, which is an increase of nearly 82,000 from calendar year 2023. Bachelor’s or master’s degrees were the most popular, accounting for 79% of higher education degrees sought.

According to an Open Doors 2024 report, released in November last year, for the first time in 15 years, Indian students surpassed Chinese students in the US for the 2023-24 academic year.

Indian students now make up a weighty portion of the international student cohort in most Western countries and are key contributors to the US’s global student population.

A comparable trend was observed recently in Germany, according to data from the Academic Exchange Service, released in September 2024. For the 2023-24 winter semester, 49,483 Indian students were enroled in Germany, marking a 15.1% increase from the previous year, positioning India as the largest international student group in Germany, surpassing China.