US Universities report 26 per cent decline in Indian student applications

The universities in the United States of America have registered a share decline in the number of applications from Indian students amidst rising fears of hate crimes and anxiety over potential visa policy changes by the Trump administration.

The decline was noted in a survey conducted jointly by the National Association for College Admission Counselling and its subgroup International Association for College Admission Counselling along with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Institute of International Education and the Association of International Educators.

Key Highlights

• The survey covered more than 250 American colleges and universities.

• Its preliminary results revealed a 26 per cent decline in undergraduate applications and a 15 per cent decline in graduate applications by students from India this fall.

• The full version of the survey report called ‘Open Doors 2016’ will be released by the end of March 2017.

• Overall, the survey reported an average drop of 40 per cent in the application forms by international students.

Currently, India and China together make up 47 per cent of the US international student enrollment with almost half a million Indian and Chinese students studying in the US.

The fear of potential visa policy changes has impacted China as well, as the country reported a drop of 25 per cent in its student applications in undergraduate studies and 32 per cent in graduate studies.