4.5 crore students enrolled in higher education, women's participation rises: AISHE report '23-24'

The latest AISHE report said higher education enrolment in India reached 4.5 crore in 2023-24. The data also showed rising participation among women, marginalised groups and STEM students.

In Short

• Gross enrolment ratio rose to 30, up from 23.7 in 2014-15
• Female gross enrolment climbed to 31.2, with parity index at 1.08
• SC, ST and OBC student participation increased across higher education institutions

More young people are entering colleges and universities in India, with total enrolment in higher education reaching 4.5 crore in 2023-24, according to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) released by the Union Ministry of Education on Tuesday.

The survey, which tracks enrolment, faculty, infrastructure and other indicators across higher education institutions, shows that enrolment has increased by 31.5% since 2014-15, when it stood at 3.42 crore.

One of the key measures in the report is the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), which shows the proportion of people aged 18-23 who are enrolled in higher education.

The GER increased to 30 in 2023-24 from 29.5 in the previous year and 23.7 in 2014-15, indicating that more young people are pursuing college education.

WOMEN, SC, ST AND OBC STUDENTS DRIVE HIGHER EDUCATION GROWTH

Women's participation continued to improve. The female GER rose to 31.2 in 2023-24 from 30.2 a year earlier. The Gender Parity Index (GPI), which compares female and male participation in higher education, stood at 1.08. A GPI above one means more women than men are enrolled in higher education.

The report noted that this has remained above one for the past seven years.

Female enrolment also continued to grow, reaching 2.24 crore in 2023-24, up from 2.18 crore in 2022-23 and 1.57 crore in 2014-15.

The survey also recorded higher participation among students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC). Enrolment of SC students rose to 69.72 lakh, while ST enrolment reached 28.83 lakh in 2023-24. OBC enrolment increased to 1.80 crore.

The GER for SC students increased to 27.8 in 2023-24 from 18.9 in 2014-15, while the GER for ST students rose from 13.5 to 22.8 during the same period.

The report also showed steady growth in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. STEM enrolment crossed one crore for the first time, reaching 1.02 crore in 2023-24, compared with 91.5 lakh a decade ago. Women accounted for 44% of STEM enrolment, up from 38.4% in 2014-15.

The number of teachers in higher education institutions also increased. India had 17.32 lakh faculty members in 2023-24, of whom 7.78 lakh were women. Female faculty strength has grown steadily from 5.69 lakh in 2014-15.

The Ministry said more than 90% of registered higher education institutions participated in the survey in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. Data for the survey is submitted voluntarily by institutions through the AISHE portal and is verified using built-in validation and scrutiny checks. However, the ministry noted that, like any large-scale survey, the findings are based on self-reported data and may have some limitations.

- Ends