LANSING—The journey from India to Michigan was lengthy and sometimes baffling for Kaustav Mukherjee—but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The world is such a beautiful, diverse place,” Mukherjee said. “How many people get a chance to travel to another country to study? I’m blessed to be on this journey of learning.”

But living in America hasn’t always been easy for the 27-year-old native of Kolkata, India, who is pursuing a doctorate in English at Michigan State University.

While Mukherjee was vacationing in northern Michigan last summer, a man approached and asked him if he was a terrorist. Mukherjee was offended but said he’s realized there are people all over the world who are ignorant of other cultures.

“You cannot blame him—we all have our comfort zones,” Mukherjee said. “There are always people who won’t go outside of that comfort zone. It’s intrinsic in every culture.”

Mukherjee is one of more than 20,000 international students who are studying at Michigan’s public universities this fall. In 2006, Michigan ranked eighth in the country in international students with 20,827. California led with more than 75,000 students. The University of Southern California has been host to the most international students for the last six years, with nearly 7,000.

Two of Michigan’s universities—MSU and the University of Michigan—ranked in the top-25 institutions hosting international students last year. U-M was seventh with 4,649 students. MSU was 22nd with 3,293. Not included on the list but close behind was Wayne State University with just under 3,000 foreign students.

John Greisberger, the director of the International Center at U-M, said the variety of nationalities on his campus is a great asset to teaching students about other cultures.

“There’s a lot of value in having a diverse student body,” Greisberger said. “Students from more than 100 different countries bring great diversity to the campus.

“That contributes not just to classroom learning but informal learning outside of the classroom as well. International and domestic students can come together and interact in meaningful ways, sharing their cultures and creating friendships,” he said.

Mukherjee, the president of the International Students Association at MSU, wound up in Michigan after being accepted to six Ph.D. programs all over the country. He said he chose MSU for a number of reasons.

“The program was good here, and there were very good professors in the English department,” he said. “Also, I really liked the diversity MSU had to offer.”

After arriving in the U.S. in the fall of 2005 and spending two years in East Lansing, Mukherjee says he’s happy with the decision he made.

“The people at MSU really respect cultural differences,” he said. “I feel like I’ve found a home here.”

Greisberger said that while Michigan universities have enjoyed great success recruiting foreign students, competition is getting more intense.

“The U.S. has to work harder to continue to attract the best and brightest students from around the world,” he said. “There’s no doubt we have the best higher education system in the world, but other countries are developing centers for international education and doing their best to attract students as well.

“It’s a very competitive market now—we have to realize it’s much more competitive today than it was five or ten years ago,” Greisberger said.

Michigan has seen a steady increase in the number of foreign students studying at state universities in the last two decades. In 1990, there were fewer than 14,000. But since 2000, the number has increased to more than 20,000 each year.

An aspect of hosting international students often lost on the community is the financial contribution to the state. Last year, foreign students contributed $438 million to Michigan’s economy.

Peter Briggs, the director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at MSU, said the financial benefit of hosting these students often slips under the radar.

“Last year, between students, scholars and their families here with them, about $90 million was contributed to the greater Lansing area and about $500 million to the state, so it’s a very significant economic export,” Briggs said.

Briggs added that international students are one of the top service-sector export industries in the state, but hardly anyone knows it.

“The numbers are very impressive, but no one really talks about it because it’s not a tool or a computer or a car, but it’s bringing a lot of dollars to Michigan,” he said.

The highest percentage are from India, both in Michigan and the U.S. overall. About 15 percent of foreign students in Michigan are from India. China, South Korea and Canada are also major contributors. Mukherjee said language has much to do with India topping the list year after year.

“Learning English is a huge barrier, and it can keep many students away from the U.S.,” Mukherjee said. “Because of British colonial rule, English has been taught to children for many years there, so they speak it well—just with an accent.”