Reports & Indexes

India's Higher Education Enrolment Hits 4.5 Crore, Women Lead: AISHE Report

By TestNeeti Editorial TeamPublished Wednesday, 8 July 2026 2 min readSource: The HinduArticle 15 of 20

India's higher-education enrolment rose to 4.5 crore in 2023-24, a 31.5% increase from 3.42 crore in 2014-15, according to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) reports for 2022-23 and 2023-24 released by the Union Ministry of Education. Drawing data from 59,533 higher education institutions, the survey shows the Gender Parity Index (GPI) at 1.08 for 2023-24 — above 1.0 for seven straight years — while the female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) reached 31.2, higher than the overall GER of 30. Enrolment surged among marginalised groups: Scheduled Castes up 51.4% (to 69.72 lakh), Scheduled Tribes up 75.7% (to 28.83 lakh) and OBCs up 60.2% (to 1.80 crore). STEM enrolment climbed to 1.02 crore, with the female share rising to 44%. The teaching workforce grew to 17.32 lakh, of whom 7.78 lakh (44.9%) are women.

Key Facts & Details

9 points

1
Total higher-education enrolment reached 4.5 crore in 2023-24, up 31.5% from 3.42 crore in 2014-15, per the AISHE report.
2
The AISHE reports (2022-23 and 2023-24) were released by the Union Ministry of Education, drawing data from 59,533 institutions.
3
The Gender Parity Index stood at 1.08, above 1.0 for seven consecutive years; the female GER was 31.2 against an overall GER of 30.
4
SC enrolment rose 51.4% (69.72 lakh), ST enrolment 75.7% (28.83 lakh) and OBC enrolment 60.2% (1.80 crore) over the decade.
5
STEM enrolment reached 1.02 crore, with the female share climbing to 44% from 38.4% a decade ago.
6
The faculty network grew to 17.32 lakh teachers, of whom 7.78 lakh (44.9%) are women.

Deep Dive

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AISHE data is self-reported voluntarily by registered institutions through a web portal, with built-in validation by the Ministry.
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The institutional participation rate for the survey exceeded 90%.
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The rising female GER and GPI reflect sustained gains in women's access to higher education.

Exam Focus

According to the AISHE report, what was India's total higher-education enrolment in 2023-24?

Exam Relevance & Angle

The AISHE report is a high-frequency reports & indices GA item, tested on the publisher (Ministry of Education), India's figure (4.5 crore), the GPI (1.08) and GER (30). The strong SC/ST/OBC and women's enrolment gains are common data-based question hooks.

Target Exams

SBI POIBPS POSSC CGLSSC CHSLRRB NTPCUPSC CSEState PCS

Background & Context

The All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) is conducted annually by the Union Ministry of Education to collect data on higher-education institutions, enrolment, teachers and infrastructure across the country. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) measures enrolment in higher education as a percentage of the eligible 18-23 age group, while the Gender Parity Index (GPI) compares female to male enrolment, with a value above 1 indicating more women enrolled relative to men. AISHE data feeds into policy targets, including the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 goal of raising the GER to 50% by 2035. Data is self-reported by institutions through a data capture format on a web portal.