In Numbers: How the number of Indian students going to the US has declined

The number of Indian students travelling to the United States has fallen sharply this year, marking the steepest decline on record outside the pandemic. According to new Trade.gov data analysed by The New York Times , student arrivals from India dropped by 44 percent in August 2025 compared with the same period last year. For a country that now sends nearly one in three foreign students to American universities, this represents a major shift in global education flows. The US has long been the preferred destination for Indian students seeking higher education, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). But this year, the data tells a different story. Student arrivals from India fell 44 percent, the sharpest fall among all major source countries. Over