Pranay Karkale spends years of savings and $60,000 in student loans to earn a master’s degree in the United States, yet he still considers himself lucky. Back home in India, it is common to hear of families selling their land to send children to foreign universities.
Karkale was willing to do whatever it took once he got to Johns Hopkins University. A degree from a prestigious American university would, he believed, 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 as I did here,” says Karkale (23).
Historic numbers of students from India are studying at universities abroad as a fast-growing, ambitious generation of young people look for opportunities they cannot find at home. India estimates that 1.5 million students attend universities elsewhere – an eightfold increase since 2012 – and that no country attracts more students than the US.
It represents a loss for India, as many students see universities as a springboard to a career abroad, but a boon for American schools. With record numbers of students from China declining, American universities have turned to India as a new source of full tuition payments.
The Indian economy is growing, but unemployment remains persistent, even for graduates. Jobs are being created in areas such as construction and agriculture, but they are not meeting the demands of a newly trained workforce, said Rosa Abraham, an economist at Azim Premji University.
“I think many young people today feel that the economy is not meeting their potential and their ambitions, and that is why they want to try their opportunities abroad if they can,” she said.
India’s own higher education system also lacks capacity. As the population grows, competition for admission to India’s top universities has become fierce. The acceptance rate at some elite Indian universities has fallen to just 0.2%, compared to 3% at Harvard University and 4% at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Lokesh Sangabattula, who has a Ph.D. in materials science from MIT, is one of many hoping to land jobs in the US. There is little demand for materials scientists in India, he said, and at best he thinks he could become a professor. It is a similar story for engineers, whom India generates in large numbers without the industry employing them.
“We produce engineers whose degrees have no value, so people leave the country,” he said.
Universities in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom are also seeing increased interest, but none more so than the US, where universities enroll nearly 269,000 students from India. With that number soaring, including a 35% increase in the 2022-2023 academic year, India is poised to replace China as the largest international presence on American college campuses.
The vast majority come for graduate programs, often in science, math and engineering — fields that have faced persistent labor shortages in the U.S. — though student numbers are also rising as India’s middle class grows. One selling point is the chance to work in America for up to three years after graduation, a benefit offered by the U.S. government and known as optional practical training.
For Karkale, staying in India never felt like an option. During his studies in India, he became interested in technical management, which combines technical and leadership skills. It’s a growing industry in the U.S. and Europe, but Karkale, who hails from the western Indian state of Maharashtra, couldn’t find graduate programs in India.
At Hopkins, he is gaining professional work experience arranged by the school, a rarity in Indian universities, he said. Ultimately he wants to return to India, but the most attractive jobs are elsewhere. After graduating, he plans to work in the US for at least a year or two.
If he could find the right job in India, he added: “I would jump back in a heartbeat.”
The increase has helped the bottom line of US colleges, which charge higher tuition rates to international students. It comes as many Americans are opposing higher education because they worry about student debt and the perception of liberal bias at colleges. The number of students from China has declined due to chilly political ties and a stagnant Chinese economy.
In India, American universities have become a fixture at college fairs. Many are spending a lot of money to make a name for themselves in India, spreading further across the country to recruit in smaller cities and towns, where demand to study abroad has increased.
Yet an education abroad remains out of reach for the vast majority of Indian youth. The cost of an American education is a fortune for most, and Indian banks have scaled back student loans in response to high default rates.
Even for those who can afford it, the student visa process presents obstacles. Students are systematically turned away at the American embassy in New Delhi.
On a recent Friday, Daisy Cheema slumped her shoulders and sighed as she left the embassy. She spent weeks preparing for a visa interview after being accepted to Westcliff University, a for-profit college in California. She hired an agency to help, but her visa was rejected without explanation; she has just received a piece of paper stating that she can register again.
Cheema, 22, hoped to gain work experience in the US before returning to India to support her family. Her parents, who own a gas station in the northern Indian state of Punjab, would pay with their savings.
“I feel terrible right now,” Cheema said, holding back tears. “But I will prepare better and try again. I do not give up.”
The American shift toward Indian students is visible on campuses like the University of Texas, Dallas, where enrollment from China has fallen from about 1,200 to 400 over the past four years. Meanwhile, enrollment from India grew from about 3,000 to 4,400.
Rajarshi Boggarapu came to the US to pursue a master’s degree in business analytics and chose UT-Dallas in part because of the large Indian population. He borrowed $40,000 for tuition, which he sees as an investment in his future.
“We value education more than anything in India,” he said.
Like many American universities, Johns Hopkins is deepening ties with India. It has hosted Indian diplomats to discuss health and technology partnerships and is part of a new task force formed by the Association of American Universities to promote exchanges with India.
Before coming to the U.S., Karkale was concerned about the political climate, but the campus made him feel welcome. When he couldn’t get home for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, he was surprised to find a campus party attended by hundreds of students and staff.
In a campus gymnasium decorated with colorful flowers and lamps, Karkale watched as groups of students danced to a mix of new and old Indian music. There was a Hindu prayer ceremony. And when the dance floor opened, Karkale joined in.
“It was an unforgettable evening,” he said. “I immediately felt at home.”
___
The Associated Press’ education coverage receives funding from several private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s Standards for Working with Charities, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
