United States on a day the country's Mission to India celebrated Student Visa Day. (Representational Image)
As many as 4,000 applicants from across the country applied for student visa to the United States on a day the country's Mission to India celebrated Student Visa Day.
According to a US embassy statement, Indian students submitted more than 90,000 visa applications in the last 12 months.
A fact-sheet released by the embassy said, "Over the last 12 months, student visa applications doubled at the US Embassy and Consulates in India, especially in Mumbai and Hyderabad, the two busiest posts for students."
"The US Embassy in Delhi, and Consulates General in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai, opened their doors today to over 4,000 Indian students who applied for visas to pursue education in the United States," the statement added.
In the 2013-2014 academic year, nearly 1,03,000 Indian students were enrolled in US institutions of higher education, making them the second largest group of foreign students in the US after China.
"Consular officers approve the vast majority of student visa applications. 78 per cent of Indian students opt to study Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields," the US Embassy said.
According to the embassy, in terms of popularity of study disciplines among the applicants, engineering tops the chart, followed by computer science.
"Last year Indian students in the United States contributed USD 3.3 billion to the US economy," it said.
Addressing the applicants, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma said, "Indian students are a great asset to United States universities and colleges. Both countries benefit greatly when our students study and learn together."
On the occasion, the embassy and the consulates treated the applicants to an informative morning in a festive, collegiate atmosphere, with the consulates playing music ranging from college songs to pop music.
"It has been an honour to meet India's future leaders today at Student Visa Day. I am continually impressed by the calibre of Indian students that I meet, and amazed by what they contribute to both India and the world," Ambassador Verma remarked after talking with the applicants here.