There are about 100,000 Indian students from India in various universities in America. A large number of Indian American students are also enrolled in American universities. Diwali celebration in Duke, Princeton, Howard, Rutgers and several other university campuses brings various Indian student groups together and helps them stay connected with their culture and tradition.

In 2003, the President of the United States agreed to the long-standing demand of the Indian community and celebrated Diwali at the White House in the presence of several invited Indian community leaders. Since then, Diwali festivities at the White House have become an annual tradition which also shows the growing clout of the Indian American community in the United States. The US Senate and the House of Representatives in October 2007 unanimously passed Resolutions 299 and 747 respectively, recognizing the “religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali.