According to the United States India Educational Foundation (USEIF) director Adam Grotsky, it has been observed that Indian students do not just prefer the United States for higher-studies but also prefer the US for studying courses like gender studies, public health, environmental studies, and cultural heritage in the foreign country. Also, Indians were reported to have enrolled in interdisciplinary undergraduate programs.
Addressing the three-day conference called 2019 Fulbright South and Central Asia annual conference that ended on Wednesday, organized by USIEF in Kochi, Grotsky announced Fulbright scholars an opportunity to present their research and enhance their educational exchanges. The seminar witnessed the presence of 116 US Fulbright scholars who conducted research and training at respective academic institutions across India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
Grotsky also confirmed that the United States has observed “steady growth” and no fall in the number of Indian students entering the US.
It was reported that a total of 196,271 students entered the United States for studies in 2017-18, which was observed to be higher by 186,267 students as compared from 2016-17. The percentage of the number of students entering the US was increased by 29% in 2014-15, however, the percentage has been increasing but the percentage has been declining to be 5% in 2017-18.
“We are more interested in looking at the 10-year trend and our focus is on attracting qualified, legitimate students to go to the US to add to our campuses. Indian students add value to our campuses,” Grotsky said.
It has been announced that Education US Fair will present 40 to 50 institutions of higher education from the US to Kochi at the road show. “This is the first time we are having a roadshow in Kochi to present the higher education opportunities in the US,” he said.
Consul for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the US Consulate General in Chennai, Lauren Lovelace, said USIEF has started to invite applications for its Fulbright programmes in the US.
The Fulbright Programme in the US government’s flagship international educational exchange programme and aims to achieve a mutual understanding between countries. In India, the Fulbright-Nehru fellowships are funded by the government of India and the US jointly. This year, it has been announced that over 220 US Fulbright-Nehru scholars will be conducting research and training in India. Out of the 220, Five are from Kerala, 20 from Tamil Nadu, 25 from Karnataka, and Four from Puducherry.