Only 2.5 colleges run PhD programmes, maximum students opt for science stream: HRD survey

Only 2.5 percent colleges in the country run PhD programs and maximum students opt for PhD in science stream, according to the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) by the HRD Ministry. A total of 1,69,170 students are enrolled in PhD programs that is less than 0.5 percent of the total student enrolment.

For the annual survey, the higher education institutions are categorized in 3 broad categories--university, college, and stand-alone institutions. A total of 962 universities; 38,179 colleges and 9190 stand-alone institutions participated in the survey for the year 2018-19. “Only 2.5 percent of colleges run the Ph.D. program and 34.9 percent of colleges run postgraduate-level programs. At Ph.D. level, maximum numbers of students out-turn is in science stream followed by engineering and technology. On the other hand at PG level maximum students out-turn is observed in social science and management stream comes at number two,” according to the survey report.

The share of PhD.student is highest in State Public University (34.3 pc) followed by Institute of National Importance (21.6 pc), Deemed University-Private (21.6 pc) and State Private University (13.4 pc) The ASHE report pointed out that about 79.8 pc of students are enrolled in undergraduate level program.

"Maximum numbers of students are enrolled in B.A. program followed by B.Sc. and B.Com. programmes. At Undergraduate level the highest number (35.9 pc) of students are enrolled in arts, humanities or social sciences courses followed by science (16.5pc), engineering and technology (13.5 pc) and commerce (14.1 pc),” the report said. There are 34.8 percent colleges, which run only single program, out of which 83.1 percent are privately managed.

“Among these privately managed colleges, 38.1 percent of colleges run B.Ed courses only. 77.8 percent colleges are privately managed, 64.3 pc private-unaided and 13.5 pc private-aided. Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have about 88 percent private-unaided colleges and Tamil Nadu has 87 percent private-unaided colleges, whereas, Assam has 16 percent.“ "Around 16.3 percent of colleges are having enrolment less than 100 and only 4 percent colleges have enrolment more than 3000,” the report said.

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