(December 2, 2025) At a time when global education is shaping the aspirations of young Indians, understanding where the world’s talent chooses to study has never been more important. The Open Doors 2025 report offers a striking insight: New York University has once again emerged as the leading host of international students in the United States, enrolling 27,532 students from across the globe. For Indian families increasingly looking abroad for high-quality education and global exposure, this ranking signals where academic opportunity, cultural diversity, and career pathways converge.
NYU’s position at the top is not new. The university has held this distinction for several years, consistently outranking other global powerhouses such as Northeastern University and Columbia University. The question that naturally follows is what sets NYU apart in a country filled with prestigious institutions? To understand the reasons behind this sustained appeal, Global Indian spoke to three Indian-origin students from NYU who shared how the institution’s international character shapes their academic journeys, personal growth, and professional ambitions.
Why study programs matter
For Mayuka Tulla, a sophomore studying film and television production at NYU Tisch, the university’s global ecosystem is inseparable from its academic foundation. “The global environment at NYU stems from its wide range of study-abroad programs,” she explains. “International viewpoints aren’t just welcomed—they’re fundamental to learning.”
Mayuka’s filmmaking journey has been transformed by NYU’s international presence. With opportunities to study in Prague, Paris, Florence, Berlin, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai, she believes each location offers unique cinematic textures that influence how she writes, shoots, and interprets stories. “The international campuses influence the classroom environment—our conversations, our creative processes, everything.”
Mayuka Tulla
A campus shaped by storytelling
The cross-pollination of ideas at NYU becomes especially evident in storytelling traditions that students bring from around the world. European arthouse influences, Middle Eastern narrative forms, and contemporary Chinese filmmaking techniques all find space in NYU’s classrooms. When Mayuka joined the program, she brought with her the vivid palette of Indian culture—mythology, identity, family histories, and the vibrant colours of her homeland.
“The unique aspect of NYU lies in its ability to create seamless connections between my cultural stories and the diverse narratives of students from other backgrounds,” she reflects.
Learning through alternative methods
NYU’s curriculum exposes students to unconventional cinematic languages. Mayuka recalls film classes featuring Mandarin-language productions, including Chinese mythological ghost stories that offered new ways of creating mood and symbolism. A course like The Language of Film introduced her to work on the Nanjing Massacre and classic Italian cinema, broadening her understanding of global visual techniques.
She believes that this constant interplay of global voices strengthens her identity as a filmmaker. “The diversity of voices at NYU motivates me to adopt new perspectives while staying deeply connected to my own.”
The Open Doors rankings
The Open Doors 2025 rankings underline the sheer scale of universities attracting global talent. NYU leads the list, followed closely by Northeastern University with 22,465 international students and Columbia University with 20,733. These institutions have become international gateways, drawing students who want education grounded in real-world experiences and multicultural understanding.
Where the Ivy League stands
A surprising detail from the rankings is that only one Ivy League university—Columbia University—appears in the Top 10. While Ivy League schools remain synonymous with prestige, their smaller enrolment numbers limit their capacity to host large international cohorts. This trend highlights a broader reality: global students are increasingly choosing universities that combine strong academics with scale, cosmopolitan environments, and flexible program structures.
A built-in global perspective
For Siddarth Aditya Roddam, a sophomore studying Liberal Studies and Economics, NYU’s geography itself encourages cross-cultural learning. “The university campus extends from Union Square to Brooklyn,” he says. “It creates an open learning environment that naturally brings together different languages, cultural backgrounds, and intellectual perspectives.”
Siddharth Roddam
He believes that NYU’s everyday rhythms—whether on campus or on the subway—embed a global perspective into the academic experience in ways that textbooks cannot.
Professors with worldwide expertise
Siddarth points out that NYU’s faculty embodies the same international diversity as its student body. His economics courses are taught by professors from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, each bringing their own regional insights into discussions on development, trade, monetary policy, and inequality.
“They use worldwide economic examples, which makes learning more meaningful because I can relate the material to my home country,” he adds.
A dorm community that feels like home
Adjusting to a new country is often one of the biggest challenges for international students, but Siddarth believes NYU’s dorm culture provides essential support. The university organizes sports events, movie nights, and weekend excursions across different New York neighborhoods, helping students build friendships and find community.
“These activities create a supportive environment that makes students feel at home,” he says. “NYU offers complete cultural integration.”
A comprehensive, city-integrated education
For Shlok Poduvu, a junior majoring in Leadership and Management, NYU’s appeal lies in its holistic education ecosystem. With campuses spread across lower Manhattan, the university lives up to the saying, “The city is your campus.” Academic buildings near Washington Square Park and dorms around Union Square give students a sense of immersion in New York’s cultural and entrepreneurial energy. “NYU offers a comprehensive education with vibrant student life, engaging clubs, and a diverse international community,” he says.
Shlok Poduvu
Bollywood nights and cultural familiarity
Shlok notes that despite being thousands of miles from India, cultural familiarity is easy to find. Activities such as Garba events or Bollywood nights strengthen bonds among students, while the iconic purple NYU flags scattered across the city serve as comforting markers in the fast-paced urban environment.
A personal journey of growth
For Shlok, smaller class sizes and approachable professors create an intimate learning experience that enhances both academic and personal growth. “My experience has been a wonderful opportunity for growth,” he says. “I feel a sense of familiarity with international students from different parts of the world, and we learn from each other every day. At the end of the day, isn’t that what studying abroad is all about—meeting new faces, discovering new cultures, and sharing beautiful experiences?”
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