WHILE the government is trying to make it easier for foreign universities to set up branches in India in order to stem the flow of Indian students – and their funds – abroad, one trend presents a clear challenge: the increasing lure of the US work experience beyond campus borders .
More Indian students studying in the US are choosing to stay on in a three-year work or apprenticeship program after graduation, shows an analysis by The Indian Express of Open Doors, compiled by the US Department of State and the nonprofit Institute for International Education (IEE).
Data based on surveys of international exchange activities shows that of the 1.99 million Indian students seeking education in the US in 2021-22, a high proportion of 34.2 percent were enrolled in Optional Practical Training (OPT) programs , which allow foreign graduates with an F-1 (student visa) for up to three years of paid or voluntary work in the United States (see table).
In comparison, only 17.6 percent of the 2.9 million Chinese-origin students in the US chose these OPT programs in 2021-22.
In the case of Indian students, this is a steady increase: the percentage opting for OPT programs has increased over the years, from just 12.8 percent in 2006-07 to a peak of 43.9 percent in the years 2020-21. For Chinese students, that proportion has remained relatively unchanged: from 10.6 percent in 2006-07 to just 17.6 percent in 2021-22.
Incidentally, India and China account for 52 percent of all international students in the USA.
OPT is a popular option for international students in the United States to gain hands-on training experience during undergraduate or post-graduation. While it takes one year in most cases, it can be up to three years for certain STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects.
The program has been challenged by labor unions in the US, who argued that it goes beyond the scope of student visas, but the US Circuit Court of Appeals, DC, upheld its validity last October.
Students typically transition from OPT authorization (part of F-1 status) to H-1B status. OPT is seen as a stepping stone to an H1-B visa for foreign graduates in many cases, particularly in STEM subjects. Overall, Indian students accounted for about 37 percent of the 1,84,759 international students in the US who enrolled in OPT in 2021-22.
Open Doors data also shows fewer Indians are picking Postgraduate degrees in the USA – from a peak of 79 percent in 2003-04 to 51.2 percent in 2021-22. China also saw a decline – from 82.2 percent in 2003-04 to 42.5 percent in 2021-22.
But when it comes to undergraduate studies, the number of Chinese-origin students in the US has increased from 13.8 percent in 2000-01 to 37.7 percent in 2021-22, while the figure in India’s case has risen from 22.4 percent dropped to 13.8 percent.
In absolute terms, 1,99,182 students from India undertook an education in the US in 2021-22, up from 1,67,582 in 2020-21 – an increase of 19 percent. China, on the other hand, saw a 9 percent drop in the latest round – from 3,17,299 in 2020-21 to 2,90,086 in 2021-22. This was largely attributed to Covid and the restrictive rules Beijing had put in place, which were eased just last month.
In a recent report, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) pointed out that among foreign-born students pursuing higher education in some of the world’s most developed economies, Indians are the most likely to lag behind and join the locals workforce.
“Students from China and India, the two largest groups of international students in the OECD, show remarkably different attachment behaviors.
Indian students tend to have a higher retention rate than the overall international student population.
The behavior of Chinese students is more diverse, with larger proportions overall leaving the country after their education,” says the report, titled “International Migration Outlook 2022”.