Washington: The corridors of America’s universities no longer echo with the same rush of Indian voices. The crowd is thinning. The numbers tell the story.

U.S.-based venture capitalist Debarghya Das shared new data that paints a striking picture. Once the dreamland for ambitious engineers and data scientists from abroad, the United States is no longer what it used to be. The country has seen an 18% overall drop in international students since 2017 (its peak year). For Indian students, the fall has been sharper, with a 42% slide in numbers.

Das’s post draws from the OPT Observatory, which tracks participation in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, a work authorisation that lets international graduates work in their field for up to three years. The numbers show a clear trend:

See Full Page