India's All India Survey on Higher Education data for 2022-23 and 2023-24 show a first-ever decline in undergraduate enrolment since the survey began in 2011. The trend matters for UPSC because undergraduate enrolment is the largest component of India's higher-education system and is closely linked to human capital formation, gender equity, and the demographic dividend.
What happened now
The delayed release of the All India Survey on Higher Education reports revealed that overall higher-education enrolment in India still increased, but the rise was the smallest recorded so far. The decline was concentrated in undergraduate courses, which account for more than three-quarters of total enrolment.
The fall was driven mainly by male enrolment. Female enrolment rose modestly, so the national trend did not move uniformly across gender categories.
State-level pattern
The decline was reported as especially visible in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, and Delhi. Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Karnataka, and Odisha recorded increases that partly offset the overall fall.
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