Higher education enrolment reaches record 4.5 crore: AISHE

The survey shows that India's Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education increased from 23.7 in 2014-15 to 29.5 in 2022-23 and further to 30.0 in 2023-24, indicating continued expansion in access to higher education.

India's higher education sector has continued its steady expansion, with student enrolment touching a record 4.50 crore in 2023-24, according to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) released by the Union Ministry of Education. The survey also highlights sustained improvements in access to higher education, greater participation of women and increased enrolment among Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

AISHE serves as the country's primary source of official higher education statistics, collecting information from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) on student enrolment, faculty, infrastructure and examination outcomes through a web-based data collection system. The latest surveys recorded strong institutional participation, with 56,180 institutions taking part in 2022-23 and 59,533 institutions participating in 2023-24, representing participation rates of over 90 percent in both years.

Gross Enrolment Ratio continues to improve

The survey shows that India's Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education increased from 23.7 in 2014-15 to 29.5 in 2022-23 and further to 30.0 in 2023-24, indicating continued expansion in access to higher education.

Women's participation has grown even faster, with the female GER rising to 31.2 in 2023-24, compared with 30.2 in 2022-23 and 22.9 in 2014-15. The Gender Parity Index (GPI) reached 1.08 in 2023-24, remaining above 1.0 for the seventh consecutive year, which indicates that female participation in higher education continues to exceed that of males.

The survey also records substantial progress among socially disadvantaged communities. The GER for Scheduled Castes increased from 18.9 in 2014-15 to 27.8 in 2023-24, while the GER for Scheduled Tribes rose from 13.5 to 22.8 during the same period. Overall student enrolment increased from 3.42 crore in 2014-15 to 4.50 crore in 2023-24, representing a 31.5 percent increase over the decade. Female enrolment grew even more rapidly, rising from 1.57 crore to 2.24 crore, an increase of 42.2 percent.

STEM and faculty numbers continue to grow

The survey also highlights continued expansion in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. STEM enrolment increased from 91.5 lakh students in 2014-15 to 1.02 crore in 2023-24, reflecting the country's growing focus on scientific and technical education.

Women's representation in STEM has also improved steadily. Female students accounted for 44 percent of STEM enrolment in 2023-24, compared with 38.4 percent in 2014-15, indicating greater gender inclusion in traditionally male-dominated disciplines.

Enrolment among disadvantaged communities also registered strong growth. Scheduled Caste enrolment increased to 69.72 lakh, Scheduled Tribe enrolment reached 28.83 lakh, and OBC enrolment rose to 1.80 crore in 2023-24, reflecting continued progress in expanding educational opportunities. Faculty strength also increased during the period. India had 17.32 lakh teachers in higher education institutions in 2023-24, of whom 44.9 percent were women. Female faculty numbers rose from 5.69 lakh in 2014-15 to 7.78 lakh in 2023-24, showing continued improvement in women's representation among teaching staff.

The Ministry noted that participation in AISHE remains voluntary and institutions self-report their data through the online portal. While the Ministry applies validation and scrutiny checks, it acknowledged that, like any large-scale survey, the findings remain subject to the limitations associated with self-reported survey data.