India's Higher Education Sector

The PIB backgrounder reviews India's higher education sector over the past decade (2014-15 to 2023-24) using data from the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE). It highlights growth in institutional footprints, total student enrolment, Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), female enrolment, Gender Parity Index (GPI), and participation of SC, ST, and OBC students. Key findings show universities increasing to 1,289 and total enrolment rising to 4.50 crore, with a GER of 30%. The report also outlines positive trends in STEM enrolments, foreign student numbers, faculty strength, and institutional infrastructure facilities, aligning with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and SDG 4.