On June 12, the US Consulate General in Chennai joined the rest of US Mission India to mark the fifth annual Student Visa Day. This yearly event celebrates higher education ties between the United States and India and helps qualified Indian students prepare for study in the United States by connecting them with EducationUSA for pre-departure information.
The five Mission India consular sections interviewed more than 4,000 student applicants and Consulate General Chennai welcomed nearly 1,000 students for visa interviews. Later, at the American Center in Chennai, select South Indian students were presented with student visas by US Consul General Robert Burgess.
“I congratulate the students and parents who have taken this life-changing step to pursue higher education in the United States. I warmly welcome you to the campuses of our 4,700 accredited academic institutions, whose communities are enriched by diverse student bodies, and whose many and varied educational programs offer academic rigour, fulfilling experiences, and lifelong friendships,” said Consul General Burgess.
The US Embassy and United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) also launched the EducationUSA India mobile application to provide Indian students current, comprehensive, and accurate information on studying in the United States.
Launched on both iOs and Android platforms, EducationUSA is a US government program and is the official source of information on US higher education. The app, which is easy to download, links to other EducationUSA resources. (Please visit www.educationusa.state.gov for more information.)
According to studies, there are currently over 1.96 lakh Indian students studying in the United States – more than at any time in our nation’s history. Indian students studying in the United States represent the second-largest foreign nationality studying in the United States (17.9% of all international students). There more than 4,700 accredited colleges and Universities in the US, with varied tuition and fee structures.