Why Has AISHE Data Been Missing for 3 Years? The Truth Behind India’s 50% GER Target

Infographic showing the gap in AISHE higher education data reporting, GER progression toward India’s 50% enrollment target for 2035, and associated challenges.

Dashboard illustrating delays in AISHE data (2022–2025), overall GER at 28.4% in 2021-22, and barriers to achieving India’s 50% higher education enrollment goal.


Introduction

India has set an ambitious aim: by 2035, half of its youth (ages 18–23) should be in college; this is the central promise of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Progress relies on one official data source: the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE).

The last AISHE report available to read is for 2021–22 (released in January 2024). The reports for 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25 are supposed to be ready or almost ready, but the Government is yet to made them public.  Sources within the Ministry of Education say the files are awaiting clearance from the Prime Minister’s Office, with no explanation given (The Telegraph, 2025).

Sources suggest that enrolment has declined, and fewer colleges reported data. If true, India is further from the 50% goal than official silence admits.

This article explains what is happening, why the delay hurts, and how it affects India’s education goals. It draws heavily on the work of Prof. Arun C. Mehta and his website Education for All in India, the most trusted independent source for education data analysis in the country.

What AISHE Tells Us & Why the 2021–22 Report  Showed Warning Signs

The 2021–22 report (released January 2024) showed:

  • 43.3 million students enrolled
  • Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): 28.4%
  • Pupil-teacher ratio worsened from 21 (2014–15) to 24
  • Foreign student numbers kept falling; and
  • Thousands of teaching posts are vacant.

These figures were warning signs even before the current reporting delays.

What Has Happened Since 2022?

Data collection for 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25 has already taken place (2024–25 upload deadline was 15 October 2025). Yet nothing has been released. RTI replies only state that the reports are “under compilation” or awaiting higher-level approval (The Telegraph, 2025).

Many believe the numbers show a drop in total enrolment and fewer institutions sending data. Vice-chancellors say students are leaving regular degree courses after one or two years for short, job-oriented certificates. Delhi University alone had about 5,000 empty undergraduate seats in 2025 (The Telegraph, 2025).

How the Delay Hurts

  1. Policymakers are making decisions without reliable data.
    States and the centre use AISHE to see which groups (SC, ST, OBC, minorities, girls, rural students) are left behind. Without fresh data, scholarships and new colleges cannot be adequately planned.
  2. Researchers and students suffer.
    In November 2025, we are still quoting 2021–22 numbers that are four years old.
  3. The 50% target becomes a moving goalpost.
    Prof. Arun C. Mehta estimates that India will need roughly 70 million students by 2035 (Mehta, 2025a). If enrolment has fallen in the last three years, the country may need 75–80 million instead.

Two Key Recent Studies on the 50% Target

Concluding Observations

Delaying the release of almost three years of higher education data undermines planning. In 2025, India must decide its educational future based on 2021 data, like driving while only looking backwards.

The Government must immediately release the pending AISHE reports and publicly commit to an annual publishing schedule. Establish a transparent mechanism for timely data release that ensures accountability. Only with open, up-to-date data can India track progress and take meaningful action toward its 50% college enrolment target.

Education for All in India