Is the United States shutting out Indian students? Not if you happen to be a student of Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics, otherwise known as the STEM subjects.

In fact, there are plenty of scholarships available for those who wish to do doctoral studies in any of these.

Take the case of Ruhi Sultana, a Chemistry graduate from Asutosh College in Calcutta. Ruhi worked as a research assistant at the Rajabazar Science College after completing BTech in Chemical Engineering from that institute. She applied for doctoral studies to nine universities in the United States earlier this year.

Five of them offered her a place with full scholarship - including tuition, accommodation and everything else required to study in the US.

She decided to join the University of Arkansas in southern US. The state of Arkansas is famous for its scenic beauty, clear lakes and streams, hot springs and abundant wildlife.

"My research project was on membrane science. I learnt that the University of Arkansas has a Membrane, Science, Engineering and Technology Center. It functions in collaboration with the New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of Colorado and Pennsylvania State University, and it finds solutions to industrial problems." Ruhi will be getting a $12,000 fellowship every year for four years. She will also earn $20,800 per annum as a teaching assistant.

"Getting a PhD in STEM from the US is a life-changing opportunity," says Ruhi. "Not only does it give you wide exposure but also an American doctoral programme is more job-oriented," she adds.

"There are many opportunities for international students, including those from India, to find partially and fully-funded STEM doctoral programmes," says Megan C. Prettyman, director of the office of international admissions and student immigration services at the University of Findlay in Ohio. She adds, "Indian students who have a clearly-defined research interest and find a programme that is the best fit for them stand a great chance [of getting a full scholarship]."

To find a programme that fits them best, students should run a thorough background check on the institution, faculty and the kind of research it encourages.

"If this fits your research, and you bring unique skills and thoughts and can clearly articulate them, then the university will automatically be interested in you," says Prettyman. In other words, you need to show that your research interests align with the institute's and that you bring a perspective that will help advance it.

Atreyee Das will soon join Iowa State University for her doctoral research on condensed matter physics. Iowa was one of the nine universities she applied to after completing her Master's degree in Physics from the University of Calcutta. All of them offered her a place with full scholarship. Atreyee says she was inspired by a student featured in YOU.

"In India, the scarcity of instruments is a big problem in condensed matter physics, unlike in the US. Also their problem-solving approach is far superior," she says.

According to Prettyman, since most doctoral positions come with either teaching assistantships (the responsibility of assisting a teacher in the university) or research assistantships (it requires one to work as a researcher's aide), students are likely to receive substantial, and often full, funding for their service and scholarship.

Arka Sardar is a doctoral student who will receive $23,270 per year as a teaching assistant as well as $500 to settle down. Arka has done his BSc in Physics from Maulana Azad College in Calcutta and a Master's in Applied Physics from the Indian School of Mines in Dhanbad.

He has been accepted at Auburn University in Alabama. "You get all the information about a US university on its website. In India, websites are rarely updated; also you can't apply online or appear for an interview on Skype," he says.

"American Universities offer generous funding support to international PhD students," says Samnhita Raychaudhuri, education advisor at EdXCare International, a foreign education consultant based in Calcutta. "The US is still the Holy Grail of higher education in STEM disciplines due to its excellent education, path-breaking scientific and creative innovations and the infinite number of career opportunities after graduation."

There is, however, no guarantee that all PhD students will get a permanent job in the US after completing their course.

"If you work hard and stand out, you stand a great chance of being offered employment. You just need to prove that you are the best person for the position," says Prettyman.

After completing the doctoral thesis, a student is eligible for Optional Practical Training or OPT. This programme allows students to work in the US for 12 months after completing their course.

"STEM courses offer extended OPT, which generally gives students more time to look around for suitable training or work experience," says Sugata Das, who is senior zonal counselling manager of Global Reach, a foreign education counseling agency based in Calcutta.

Called STEM OPT Extension, it enables students to gather work experience for an additional 24 months. In total, STEM graduates can work in the US for 36 months after completion of studies. "You can work with any employer in the country who is enrolled in the US Citizenship and Immigration Services E-Verify employment verification programme," says University of Findlay's Prettyman.

A doctoral degree in a STEM subject from an American university provides students with academic knowledge in more than one science subject along with professional and transferable skills such as time management, communication and problem solving.

So whether you get a chance to stay on in the US or not, a PhD from an American university is a big deal and a great career-building opportunity. Go for it.