The high cost of US education is a significant worry, with tuition fees averaging £22,000 yearly and living expenses pushing totals to £35,000-£47,000. Parents fear unsustainable debt, especially since 68% of Indian students rely on family support. 

 Reports of gun violence and racial incidents heighten anxiety, with 1,123 hate crimes reported on US campuses in 2023. Urban campuses, where 70% of Indian students study, feel particularly daunting.Cultural isolation is mounting with 83% of Indian students reporting homesickness. Limited community support in smaller US cities exacerbates this concern for traditional families.

US universities have rigorous programs, with 27% of international scholars facing mental health challenges. Parents fear their children, often first-generation students, may struggle to cope without nearby family..  There is also an uncertainty about career opportunities after graduation is a significant concern, with only 12% of Indian graduates securing H-1B visas annually. The Optional Practical Training (OPT) program offers temporary work but no guaranteed path to residency.

Indian students in the USA face a range of challenges, including deportation risk, visa cancellations, and internship difficulties. The new U.S. laws in 2025 have raised deportation risk and imposed a 1% remittance tax on Indian students, causing anxiety and forcing stricter compliance. Visa cancellations have also impacted many students, with at least 160 Indian students affected since late 2023. Additionally, the global economic slowdown has led to a decrease in entry-level job opportunities, making it difficult for many students to secure internships. These challenges have prompted many Indian students to rethink their plans for studying or working in the USA.

The biggest fear is the rising xenophobia:  Recent incidents Involving Indian students in the U.S.are:

1. Vivek Saini – Lithonia, Georgia (January 2024):  He was a 25-year-old Indian graduate student working part-time at a store in Lithonia, Georgia, and was beaten to death with a hammer by a homeless drug addict. The brutal incident was widely shared online, shocking communities both in the U.S. and India. 

2. Akul B. Dhawan – University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign (January 2024), was an 18-year-old Indian‑American student, found dead with signs of hypothermia. Authorities noted he had been exposed to cold temperatures for an extended period. 

3. Neel Acharya – Purdue University, Indiana (January 2024) was  reported missing and later found dead. No clear signs of violence were noted, and the cause remains unconfirmed. 

4. Sameer Kamath – Purdue University, Indiana (February 2024) was a 23-year-old PhD candidate, Sameer Kamath, found dead in a nature preserve. Authorities ruled it a suicide by gunshot. 

5. Syed Mazahir Ali – Chicago, Illinois (February 2024) was a master’s student at Indiana Wesleyan University, who was chased and brutally attacked by four individuals in Chicago. The incident was captured on video, showing him with severe facial injuries. 

6. Vivek Taneja – Alexandria, Washington, D.C. area (February 2024) was an Indian-origin executive involved in an altercation near a restaurant suffered fatal head injuries and died shortly afterward. 

7. Shreyas Reddy Benigeri – Cincinnati, Ohio (Early 2024), a student at the Lindner School of Business was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Initial investigations did not point to foul play. 

These attacks are frightening, unprovoked random violence, racial targeting or xenophobia with a heightened vulnerability of International students. 

The result of this is the sharp decline of International student arrivals in US.  In July 2025, it dropped by 28.5% compared to July 2024, with predictions of a 50% decline in new enrollments by fall 2025. decrease in foreign students traveling to the US is probably due to the Trump administration's activities, which include rescinding visas, delaying visa interviews, and threatening to eliminate Optional Practical Training. Taking stock of all this, students would probably fly to different destinations or choose to remain and study in India.