South Asian students like the entrepreneurship culture at NYU-Poly and the full slate of techie disciplines, said Jerry MacArthur Hultin, President of NYU-Poly, while pointing out that the school’s international enrollments expanded this year.

Innovation calls for engineers who have their feet firmly planted in the practical world, and yet stretch far enough to stick their heads in the clouds, says Indian telecom maverick Sam Pitroda, who has nearly a hundred patents under his belt. Pitroda’s passion for invention was kindled following his graduation from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

Cooper Union is the Holy Grail for South Asian students looking to study engineering in America since it is the only college wealthy enough to waive tuition fees for all its students. This also means it is one of the most competitive schools to get into in the United States, says Barkha Kumar, senior year engineering student, at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.