No. of Indian students to US post-9/11 increased: Mulford

Countering the perception that it had become more difficult for Indian students to get visas to study in the US post-9/11, American Ambassador David C. Mulford on Monday said for the second straight year the maximum number of overseas students in the US were from India. Noting that the growth of Indian student population in the US has been ‘‘phenomenal’’, doubling in just five years, Mulford said there were 74,603 students from India on American campuses in the academic year 2002-03, which was more than the students from any other country.

‘‘Some observers, however, have recently created the perception that it has become difficult for students to get visas to study in US. Closer scrutiny of the issue reveals a very different picture,’’ he said. He said the US recognises that to remain competitive it must do what was necessary to attract the ‘‘best and brightest’’ and had invested heavily in technology and people to balance that with the increased security concerns. — (PTI)