The liberalization of the Indian economy, a process that began
in 1991, is certainly a major factor behind the large and
growing number of Indian students seeking education abroad.
Prior to the 1990s, only a privileged few Indian families could
afford to send their children to universities outside India.
With the dramatic rise of a new Indian middle class (and
increased wealth of the Indian upper class), the number of
students able to pursue foreign education has skyrocketed. A
search through the internet reveals that in the calendar year
1996-97, 6426 Indian students went abroad for studies while in
the academic year 2003/04, there were 79,736 students from India
studying in the United States alone. In fact, in 2003/04--for
the third year in a row-- India remained the leading place of
origin for students in the United States. What contributes to
the continuing increase in Indian students studying abroad? The
Indian university student population is projected to grow from
9.3 million students now to 11 million