Recent reports by the SEVP (Student and Exchange Visitor Programme) – the Department of Homeland Security, about 83% Indian students in the US are enrolled in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related fields. The survey report shows figures until fall 2016. As per the report, Indian students form the largest number of students in STEM-related fields, followed by China. In fact, out of the total 466,964 STEM students in the States, 406,732 students come from Asia, thus making the latter an 87% contributor to STEM field students in the US.

However, when considering individual country figures in Asia, only 41% Chinese students in the US pursue STEM, whereas, 78% of total Iranian students studying in the US are in STEM fields. China ranks 5th in the list of percentage of students studying STEM, following India, Iran, Nepal and Saudi Arabia.

Further, according to the report, Business Management, Marketing and related field studies are less attractive to Asian students, especially Indians and Chinese. In the list of top 10 major fields of study by Asian students, Management and Marketing fields rank on number 5, with all four STEM fields filling the first 4 spots. This data could be suggestive of some prominent trends in the study abroad industry. About a decade ago, more Indian students were flying to the US to pursue MBA rather than STEM, but in recent years, the trend has been reversed. There are 3 prominent reasons for this shift in Indian student preference. You can read the reasons here.