The American dream dims for Indian students

As US President Donald Trump single-handedly ruins a hard-built relationship with India, another key aspect of ties between the two countries has taken a hit — the number of Indian students going to study in America has sharply declined, thanks to a hostile US administration that has made it clear it is less than welcoming of foreign students.

Recent data from the State Department shows that the number of student visas issued by the United States has fallen 15 per cent globally from October 2024 to March 2025. One of the sharpest drops has been from India — down 43.5 percent compared to a year ago. Experts say the outlook for the rest of the year is even bleaker, thanks to Trump’s fight with Ivy League universities and a tougher immigration stance that has seen many Indian students deported.

Visa interviews have become a nightmare as the US now demands social media scrutiny, requiring all accounts to be made public. Many students have been busy deleting old posts, worried they may be denied a visa. Worse, Trump’s move to pause visa interviews midway through the season left many thousands of students in a state of limbo. This has left many Indian families asking — is it really worth it? The demand to go to America has simply fallen.

It is unfortunate because American universities still offer some of the best programmes and research facilities in the world. A higher education in the US adds immense value to any student’s life. Many American universities also depend on international student fees to sustain themselves, and Trump’s policies are hitting them hard. Nearly 30 per cent of Harvard’s students are international. More than 300,000 foreign students in the US — out of over 1 million — are Indian.

Ironically, in a joint statement during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Washington in February this year, he and Trump highlighted the contributions of Indian students to the American economy. It said, “the more than 300,000 strong Indian student community contributes over $8 billion annually to the US economy and helped create a number of direct and indirect jobs. They recognised that the talent flow and movement of students, researchers and employees, has mutually benefitted both countries.”

And yet, Donald Trump is undermining this with his short-sighted policies. The unpredictability of the Trump administration means that even students with valid visas don’t know when they might be thrown out, or whether they should risk coming home to India for a holiday. Several reports have emerged of Indian students deciding not to travel outside US borders this summer, worried they might not be let back in. Many students who faced deportation earlier this year were not even given reasons for the action.

People-to-people ties have been the bedrock of the India–US relationship. Talent and skills from India were welcomed and encouraged in America for years. It benefited both those seeking better lives in the US and the American economy, which gained from the research and innovation that Indian and Chinese students brought. That is why Satya Nadella became the head of Microsoft after growing up in India and completing his graduate studies in the US. The same goes for Sundar Pichai of Google or Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee.

Today, Trump is making it harder for Indian students not just to study there but also to stay back and find jobs. This shift in tone has impacted the psyche of prospective students and their families. For many middle-class Indian households, sending a child abroad is a massive financial and emotional investment. Tuition fees start at around $40,000 a year and can go up to $100,000. With rising racism, visa restrictions, and job uncertainties in the US, alternative destinations such as Canada, the UK, and Australia now seem more attractive.

There are no winners here. American universities are losing. America is losing real talent. And the impact of Trump’s short-sightedness will be felt for years to come. For many Indian students, the American dream is simply not worth it anymore.