The point person and author of the report Open Doors, published annually by the Institute of International Education, which, tracks the influx of international students to the United States, believes the reason behind India retaining its lead as the top exporter of students to America for the sixth successive year is partly a reflection of that country's 'dynamic economy,' besides the blossoming US-India relations.
Peggy Blumenthal, executive vice president and chief operating officer of IIE, also told rediff.com in an interview that "the kinds of areas in which US higher education is particularly strong is where Indian students know that they can benefit by coming here."
Open Doors 2007 reported that for the sixth consecutive year, India had sent the most students for the United States - 83,833 - in the academic year 2006-2007, which was a 10 per cent increase from the previous year, and once again shutting out China to second place, which also recorded an increase of 8 per cent, sending 67,723 students.
Blumenthal who said that most Indian students who came to the US to pursue graduate studies concentrated on business management and engineering, acknowledged that there are many Indian institutions, particularly the Indian Institutes of Technology that "are also quite strong in this area, but as you know, there's limited capacity to absorb all the talented Indian students."
"And, many of them who want international careers believe that it will be particularly useful if they come and study directly in the United States - get that hands on experience that our kind of education provides," she added.
Blumenthal said that "we started seeing the Indian student numbers grow gradually back in the mid- and late-'90s, when there was a liberalisation of the currency restrictions and it was more easier to get dollars out."
She also said, "The middle class started growing and there was enough dispensable income to support their students going abroad."
However, more importantly, Blumenthal pointed out that financial assistance for graduate study offered by American colleges and universities to exceptionally outstanding students was a major reason for the sustained growth of Indian students coming over to the US.
She explained, "America is kind of unique in that our graduate and technology departments offer a lot of financial support to really outstanding graduates from any country in the world."
"Indian students always used to historically go to the UK, and many are interested in Australia, but those education systems don't have the really strong financial support to bring outstanding graduates, give them a living stipend, give them tuition support, so that they can really get their education almost without substantial investment from their family's funds."
Blumenthal lamented that while India sent the most number of students to the US, it was found wanting in terms of the number of American students going to India to study, with the number at a puny 2,115 in 2006 - which put India in the 21st position - although this was still a 20 per cent increase from the previous year.
She acknowledged that "first of all, there is a long, long tradition of Americans studying abroad in Europe, and that's a tradition that's still there."
But Blumenthal said, "It's changing and the numbers going to India are rising and numbers going to China are rising even more dramatically. So, I think, there is a growing number of students who realise that there are career advantages for them in really getting to know India, getting to know China, getting to know those strong emerging markets."
However, she said, "It's true that the Indian government requirements for visa process - for Americans coming into India is somewhat problematic. It has not been as smooth as it could be, while actually the American visa process for Indians going out has gotten much more streamlined in the last few years."
"Immediately after 9/11, there was a problem, but the US government has done a lot to really streamline that visa process for Indians coming out," Blumenthal noted, and exhorted that "the Indian government needs to do the same kind of figuring out if they want international students, particularly if they want American students to come."
She emphasised that "they've got to make the visa process very transparent and easy for students coming into the country."
