Indian students contributed $7.6 billion to US economy last year

According to the report, released by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE), for the fifth consecutive year, the United States hosted more than 1 million international students (1,075,496) in an academic year.

Despite a slight decline (1.8 percent) in the number of international students in the United States during the 2019-20 academic year, this group still represents 5.5 percent of all students in US higher education system.

According to the US Department of Commerce, international students contributed $ 44 billion to the US economy in 2019, including $ 7,69 billion from Indian students.

We are encouraged to see the fifth year of more than 1 million international students in the United States before the pandemic, said Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.

International student mobility is as important today as ever, and we believe the United States is the best destination for students to study and earn their degrees. Education is a pathway to a greater future and international educational exchange has the power to transform students' trajectories, Royce said.

Among the top 20 places of origin, the largest percentage increases were students from Bangladesh (+ seven percent), Brazil (+ four percent) and Nigeria (+ three percent).

Saudi Arabia saw the largest percentage decrease (- 17 percent) primarily due to changes in its government's scholarship program.