Expanding U.S. Study Abroad to India

The Institute of International Education (IIE), with the support of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), launched an initiative to expand the capacity of key nontraditional destination countries to host a larger number of U.S. study abroad students. The project has been carried out in India, Brazil, Turkey, and other countries, in partnership with EducationUSA, the Forum on Education Abroad, the American Association of Community Colleges, and the U.S.-India Educational Foundation (USIEF).

This report, focusing on India, is the first in a series of user-friendly guides for U.S. institutions interested in expanding their study abroad offerings. Other reports in this series will focus on expanding U.S. study abroad to Brazil, Turkey, and select other destinations.

“Expanding U.S. Study Abroad to India” begins with an overview of the current state of the Indian higher education sector, with a particular focus on Indo-U.S. relations and the current state of U.S. study abroad to India. The second portion of the report focuses on existing study abroad programs available to U.S. students, and challenges and recommendations for expanding study abroad to India and developing institutional partnerships with Indian institutions.


Table of Contents

I. Executive Summary and Key Findings

II. Higher Education in India

III. Higher Education Exchange between the U.S. and India

IV. Recent Developments in U.S.-India Partnerships

V. IIE’s Study Abroad Capacity Project

VI. Existing Study Abroad Programs and Potential for Expansion

VII. Challenges to Expanding Study Abroad to India

VIII. Conclusions and Recommendations

Appendix: Selected Study Abroad Programs in India