Enrolment of Indian students in US drops by 6.9 per cent: Government

Indian student enrolment in US institutions has declined by 6.9 per cent in 2026, Parliament was informed. The government cited stricter visa scrutiny and compliance rules as factors affecting student mobility and visa approvals

New Delhi: More than 3.5 lakh Indian students are pursuing various educational programmes, ranging from primary schooling to university courses in the US as of February 2026, which is a decline of around 6.9 per cent from the corresponding figure in the previous year, Parliament was informed on Thursday.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked whether Indian student enrolments in the US have dropped, and to what extent “scarce visa slots” and a “high percentage of visa rejections” are contributing to it.

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In a written reply to the query, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh shared with the Rajya Sabha some data released by the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Mapping Tool of the US Department of Homeland Security.

According to the data, the total number of Indian students pursuing various educational programmes (primary, secondary, other vocational, high school, language training, flight school, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate and others) in the United States of America stood at 378,787 in February 2025 and 352,644 in February 2026, he said.

The figure indicates a decline of around 6.9 per cent in overall student enrolments in US academic institutions, he added.

The MEA was also asked whether the “increase in visa scrutiny” is contributing to this decline.

On June 18, 2025, the US Department of State issued a press release titled, ‘Announcement of Expanded Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicants’.

It mentioned that the US uses all available information in its visa screening and vetting process to identify visa applicants who are “inadmissible” to the US, including those who “pose a threat to US national security,” the minister of state said.

The current US administration has also announced that “a US visa is a privilege, not a right”.

Under the new guidance, the US would conduct comprehensive vetting, including the online presence of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M and J non-immigrant classifications.

Singh said that to facilitate this vetting, the US has required all applicants to adjust the privacy settings on their social media profiles to ‘public’.

“The new US guidance mentions that every visa adjudication is a national security decision and calls on all applicants to credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission,” he said.

In June 2025, the US Embassy in New Delhi also informed that the grant of a student visa does not guarantee the continued stay of the student in the United States, he added.

It confirmed that visa monitoring continues post-approval, and rule-breaking can lead to the revocation of the visa and deportation.

He added that such violations may include discontinuing academic programmes without notification; minor legal infractions such as driving without a licence or traffic violations; driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI); overstaying visa validity; or engaging in activities inconsistent with visa conditions.

The above measures, including increased scrutiny and compliance requirements, have had “an impact on the number of US student visas issued to Indian nationals,” Singh said.

While issuance of visas and the related policy and processes are the sovereign prerogative of the concerned state, the Centre has been regularly raising all issues faced by Indian students with US authorities at various levels, he said. The MEA continues to remain engaged with the relevant US authorities to promote mutually beneficial and secure mobility frameworks that allow for streamlining avenues for legal mobility of students and professionals, the minister of state said.