Our Bureau
Hyderabad
Amidst the ongoing struggles of international students with Donald Trump’s administration, the Universities of the United States are seeing a huge drop in Indian student arrivals. The education consultants from Hyderabad have reported that they have seen a dip of 70%-80% in international students opting for these US Universities.
It is being reported that the steep dip is being seen due to the current pause in visa appointment slots and sudden spike in visa rejection rates. Although the American authorities had promised that they would be releasing visa slots in phases, there is still no major information surrounding it that has made the students very anxious. Not only that but the students who have managed to book slots have not received any confirmation.
Due to heavy uncertainty around the Universities of the United States, the students have started exploring several other countries for study. A student stated, “I really could not wait. I might just lose out on a year. It looks like a dead end at this point, hence I decided to withdraw my application.”
Many consultants have also given statements referring to previous years and how most students would have been done with their visa interviews by now by this time. They have stated that the conditions are dire and there is a state of panic amongst students and their parents.
Sanjeev Rai from Hyderabad Overseas Consultant said, “By this time usually, most students are done with their visa interviews and are preparing to fly. This year, we’re still refreshing the portal every day hoping for a slot to open. It’s the worst in years.”
Arvind Manduva from I20 Fever consultancy said, “If slots aren’t released in the next few days, thousands of dreams will be shattered. We are seeing about an 80% drop. We’re getting panic calls every day from students and their parents.”
