India’s higher education sector has seen substantial growth over the last decade, with a focus on enhancing access, improving quality, and promoting inclusivity. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan highlighted the sector’s progress during a press conference in New Delhi, outlining the key initiatives and achievements under the Ministry of Education.
Expansion of Higher Education Institutions
The number of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) grew from 51,534 in 2014-15 to 58,643 in 2022-23, recording a 13.8 percent increase. Universities expanded by 59.6 percent, rising from 760 to 1,213, while colleges grew by 21.1 percent, increasing from 38,498 to 46,624 to meet the rising demand for higher education. Additionally, centrally funded institutions grew with the establishment of 42 new institutes, including central universities, IITs, IIMs, IISERs, IISC, and IIITs.
Rise in Student Enrollment
Student enrollment increased by 30.5 percent, growing from 3.42 crore in 2014-15 to 4.46 crore in 2022-23. Female enrollment registered a 38.4 percent rise, increasing from 1.57 crore to 2.18 crore. Enrollment in STEM programs also saw growth, rising from 35.14 lakh to 43.03 lakh, marking a 23 percent increase.
Recruitment in Higher Education
Between May 2014 and October 2024, the government recruited 52,482 candidates in higher education institutions, more than doubling the previous decade’s figure of 23,463.
One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) Initiative
The government approved the ONOS initiative to facilitate access to over 13,000 e-journals from 30 international publishers for students, faculty, researchers, and scientists. With a budget of ₹6,000 crore, the scheme will span three years, from 2025 to 2027.
Promotion of Research and Innovation
The government established three Centers of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, focusing on health, sustainable cities, and agriculture, with a financial outlay of ₹990 crore for the period 2023-28. Research Parks have been set up to strengthen industry-academia collaboration. Before 2014, there were three operational research parks. Since then, six additional parks have been established, with plans to create thirteen more at various IIT campuses across the country.
Emphasis on Multilingualism
To make education more inclusive, national entrance exams such as JEE (Main), NEET (UG), and CUET (UG) are now conducted in 13 languages, including regional and official languages.
Academic Bank of Credit
Launched in 2021, the Academic Bank of Credit allows students to accumulate academic credits. As of now, 2,247 HEIs have registered, with over one crore student IDs mapped and more than two crore records recorded.
SWAYAM and SWAYAM Plus
The SWAYAM initiative, introduced in 2017, provides free online courses. So far, 3,800 courses have been developed, and 4.7 crore enrollments have been recorded. In 2024, SWAYAM Plus was launched to enhance employability, offering 320 courses developed with 55 industry partners.
Digitalization Through SAMARTH
The SAMARTH initiative supports the digitization of higher education campuses. Over 12,000 HEIs have adopted the platform, with 46 lakh students benefitting during the current semester.
Free Coaching via SATHEE Platform
Launched in 2023 in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, the SATHEE platform provides free coaching for competitive exams, including engineering, medical, and university entrance tests. It currently has 10.3 lakh registered users.
Rankings and Global Recognition
The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), introduced in 2016, evaluates higher education institutions. The number of applications grew from 3,565 in 2016 to 10,845 in 2024, with ranked institutions increasing from 2,426 to 6,517. In the 2025 QS World University Rankings, 46 Indian institutions were included, compared to 11 in 2015. IIT Bombay improved its global ranking, rising from 149th in 2024 to 118th in 2025.
Growth in National Book Fair Footfall
The Ministry of Education reported an increase in participation at the National Book Fair. The footfall rose from 4 lakh in 2014 to 19 lakh in 2024, reflecting greater engagement with educational initiatives.
Success of Smart India Hackathon
The Smart India Hackathon, launched in 2017, has grown significantly. Participation increased from 7,531 teams in 2017 to 49,892 teams in 2024, while the number of ideas submitted rose from 7,500 to 57,000.
