Physical Safety Major Concern For Indian Students In US

Indian students have a major concern about studying in the US with 80 per cent of them worried about their physical safety and 3 per cent about the feeling of being welcomed, according to a survey by Institute of International Education (IIE).

More than a million international students pursue higher education in the US and contribute more than $36 billion to the American economy. The survey results indicate the highest level of institutional concern regarding enrollment of students from the Middle East, followed by India.

31 per cent of institutions are concerned that middle-eastern students who have accepted offers of admissions may not arrive on campus in the fall, while 20 per cent are concerned about Indian students not arriving on campus.

The report added, “Securing and maintaining a visa is reported as the top concern among these students and was reported by 46 per cent of institutions, while feeling welcome in the United States was an almost equal concern, with 41 per cent of institutions noting so from their conversations with students.”

Although total applications appear to largely remain stable, yield rates and a concern about personal safety suggest the possibility that Indian students may not continue to grow as the second largest international group in US higher education.

This may lead some Indian students to accept admissions offers from other leading countries that offer student visas easily. However, international student interest in the US is not decreasing as per the survey.

Among the 112 colleges that provided data there was a 2 per cent decline in the expected yield rate this year compared to last year.

Overall, international undergraduate yield has dipped slightly from 26 to 24 per cent from fall 2016 to fall 2017.

The two percentage point decline is comparable to shifts in the US student yield reported by institutional respondents, which fell from 30 to 28 per cent over the same time period.

Rajguru Tandon

BW Reporters The author is a correspondent with BW Businessworld with keen interest in HR and employee welfare.