Andhra, Telangana Students Top US Visas With 56 per cent among Indian Students!

India has overtaken China as the greatest senders of students to US universities in the 2023-2024 academic year. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, two Telugu states, have been instrumental in this triumph, chalking up a whopping 56% of US student visas issued in India.

Telugu States Lead the Way

Telangana accounted for 34% of the share of visas alone, while Andhra Pradesh accounted for 22%. This unprecedented performance went in tandem with India's growth in sending its students to the US, where 3.3 lakh students enrolled themselves in American universities in 2023, out of which 1.8 lakh hail from the Telugu states.

According to US Consular Chief in Hyderabad Rebekah Dramé, the demand for US visas is tremendous in India; the consulate managed an astonishing 1.4 million visas last year, she said. "The demand for US visas in India is insatiable," she said. To accommodate this influx, the US consulate in Hyderabad has nearly doubled its personnel over the past year and a half and is likely to triple its workforce by early 2025, which would then facilitate processing up to 2,500 visas per day.

Interestingly, however, the exchange is not one-way. American students rushing to enrol in Indian institutions experienced a 300% increase in 2023, proof of India's growing attraction as a global educational hub.

Public Affairs Officer Alexander McLaren emphasized the significance of India reclaiming the top spot as the number one source of international students in the US. He noted that most Indian students are men pursuing master's degrees and suggested that expanding undergraduate enrollments could diversify the student body.

At the same time, innovative pilot projects were emphasized by McLaren, such as the H-1B domestic revalidation initiative, during which 10,000 visa renewals were permitted in the US without travel to India. Success under this program could mean that it is reinstated next year for permanent use.

In summary, India's achievement is a gauge of the growing importance that the country plays on the global landscape of education inspired by the remarkable performance of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

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