Even as overall numbers fall, Indian undergraduate interest in U.S. holds firm

The Hindu

26-04-2025

While the total number of active Indian students in the U.S. dropped by 27.9% for the academic year 2024-25, the number of undergraduate students dropped by only 13.5%, indicating that this segment of the Indian student population was holding up.
Education consultants The Hindu spoke to indicated that this was likely because of expenses going up or other countries becoming more attractive than the U.S. Financial reasons are key for enrollment in Master's and higher education, while the largely self-funded undergraduate students have little reason to move away from the U.S. These trends are likely to continue this year too when there could again be a dip due to Trump's unfavourable policy, tightening of visa requirements, confusion, and so on.
What numbers show
Undergraduate admissions of Indian students in the U.S. showed steady growth from 2014 to 2020. These admissions almost doubled from 12,311 in 2014 to 25,069 in 2020. There was, however, a drop during the pandemic, with only a little above 22,000 admissions.
Overall, the admissions, however, saw a post-pandemic surge between 2022-2024. At around 35,934 in 2024, the number was the highest in the 11 years. In 2025, though, these admissions slightly fell to 31,051, possibly due to tightened visa policies, economic challenges, and competition from other countries.
There are more fluctuations in the total number of admissions of Indian students when compared to undergraduate students. There was a 27.9% drop in total admissions compared to a 13.5% drop in undergrad admissions in 2024-25. Master's, STEM OPT seekers, and Ph.D. students are more sensitive to economic trends, job market prospects, and immigration policies. A commonality in both trends is that undergrad and overall admissions peaked around 2024. The decline after 2024 is sharper for total admissions compared to undergraduates.
A student who is currently working in the U.S., after pursuing his Master's in the country, on the condition of anonymity, said that the U.S. has been a difficult space. The fear of deportation has reached its peak as the current administration has made it difficult for students to stay in the U.S. After COVID, many people are struggling to find employment, and employment rates are getting lower every year. 'There are mass layoffs which come with uncertainty whether you'll even be working tomorrow or not,' he said.
Forecast for the coming year
Experts say the same trend will follow in the coming year, undergraduate admissions won't be affected as much as Master's and Ph.D. The picture could stabilise in the coming two years with more clarity on Trump's policies.
Sanjay Laul, Founder of MSM Group, doesn't see chances of a huge dip in undergraduate education unless there are grave concerns regarding student security. He says that with the number of wealthy families in India growing, they can afford to pay high fees without aid.
Mr. Laul says there could be a dip this year. The enrollment might grow once there is clarity on Trump's policies. It would help to know what kind of students the U.S. seeks, and who would have pathways to jobs and permanent residency. 'Research, Master's and Ph.D. in STEM will be more than welcome than any stream or undergraduate admissions'. he says.
Jayanthy Ramakrishnan, Head of Servicing, Galvanize Global Education, also predicts the same pattern. There may be a slight drop in undergraduate admissions, but it will be less in comparison to postgraduate admissions. 'For undergraduate education the aid has always been very less, so these students won't be that affected due to cut in financial aids for international students', she said.
Cost and aid for undergrad education
Experts say it is mostly high-income families that are not price-conscious who seek undergraduate education in the U.S., as the fees are steep. There is also a lack of substantial financial aid avenues for international students for undergraduate-level education when compared to Master's or Ph.D.
Mr. Laul says that the cost of an undergraduate degree is much higher than the cost of an average graduate or master's level programme in the U.S. Public universities in the U.S., on average, would cost around 30 thousand dollars per year, whereas private universities cost 40 thousand dollars per year. Specialised programmes in Theatre and other performing arts at high-ranking institutes cost up to 90 to 110 thousand dollars. 'For graduate education, you need a 50L INR loan to cover two years of college, provided you're working part-time to cut costs on living expenses. For undergraduate education, it goes over 1.2 crore INR', said a student on condition on anonymity.
Ms. Ramakrishnan says PG students are awarded merit-based scholarships as research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or fellowships. The funding comes from the professor's grant money or department money, which has reduced this year. UG scholarships are from the institution so they are in generally in low numbers and mostly merit based for international students. U.S. public universities have subsidised fees for in-state students and generally international students are given merit-based scholarships.
Mr. Laul says that aid for undergraduate students is minimal. Some institutes provide no financial aid at all for international students. Some institutions have financial aid that gets exhausted in the first few hundred applications. 'High-ranking, Ivy League institutes may provide more aid to students who are in need of financial support,' he said.