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The number of Indian students pursuing education in the United States has doubled in the last 10 years, says a report published by the Institute of International Education (IEE).

The 2017 Open Doors Report released by the IEE and Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs on Monday, says India stood second (17.3 per cent) in sending students to the US for higher education. Out of this 56 per cent are doing under graduation courses, it said.

“The number of Indian students in the United States has, once again, risen to a record level to over 186,000, fourth year in a row to see double-digit growth. There is an increase of 21,000 over the last year, one of the highest rates of growth in the world,” the report said and added that the number of American students studying abroad also increased by four per cent.

“We are excited to see the two nations coming closer in the best way possible. We strongly support educational exchanges because of the shared benefits, not just in economic terms, but in our mutual understanding of each other,” Karl M Adam, Deputy Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy said, Thousands of students from China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico, and Brazil are pursuing their academics at various universities in California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.