All-India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-22: Summary of Major Findings & its Implication for 50 Percent Increase in Higher Education Enrolment by 2035

 

The All-India Survey of Higher Education 2021-22 provides a comprehensive view of the higher education landscape in India. Several key findings stand out from a researcher’s point of view, showcasing both progress and areas for further improvement.

1. Expansion of Higher Education Institutions: The increase in universities and colleges, particularly in the private unaided sector, reflects an expanding higher education landscape. This growth presents opportunities for greater access to education but raises questions about the quality and standards of education in these newly established institutions.
2. Gender Parity and Empowerment: The significant increase in female enrollment and their higher Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) compared to males is a positive indicator of gender parity in education. This trend reflects progress in empowering women through education. However, further analysis is required to understand the impact of this enrollment on female workforce participation and leadership roles.
3. Representation of Marginalized Communities: The enrollment growth and GER improvement among Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students is encouraging. However, it is essential to critically analyze the retention and completion rates of students from these communities to ensure that the expansion in enrollment translates into meaningful educational outcomes and social mobility.
4. Internationalization of Education: The significant number of international students from diverse countries highlights India’s increasing role as an education destination. Researchers could explore the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating international students into the Indian higher education system and the impact on cross-cultural learning and global academic collaborations.
5. Faculty Gender Diversity and PTR: The increase in female faculty members positively addresses gender disparities in academia. However, the marginal improvement in female to male-faculty ratio and the analysis of PTR raise questions about the overall teaching quality and support for students, necessitating further investigation into the impact of gender diversity on teaching and learning outcomes.
6. Out-turn and Research Focus: The significant number of Ph.D. graduates, particularly in science and engineering, indicates a growing emphasis on research and innovation. Researchers could delve into the quality and relevance of research output, the industry-academia interface, and the potential for translating research into real-world applications.

In summary, while the AISHE 2021-22 demonstrates positive trends in enrollment, gender parity, and research output, it also prompts critical analysis of issues such as educational quality, retention, inclusive pedagogy, and the alignment of higher education with societal and economic needs. These findings present rich opportunities for researchers to delve deeper into the nuances of higher education dynamics in India and to contribute to evidence-based policy and practice.

Some Facts and Figures

The AISHE 2021-22 provides comprehensive insights into the state of higher education in India. The survey was conducted online, with over 1,168 universities, 45,473 colleges, and 12,002 standalone institutions participating. Enrolment in higher education has increased to 43.3 million in the year 2021-22, with a significant rise in female enrolment by 32 percent since 2014-15. Additionally, there has been a notable increase in the enrolment of students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and minority communities.

The survey also highlights the distribution of students across different educational levels and fields of study. It reveals that about 78.9 percent of students are enrolled in undergraduate-level courses, with the highest enrolment in Arts, Science, Commerce, and Engineering & Technology. Additionally, the number of Ph.D. enrolments has increased by 81.2 percent in 2021-22, with a significant rise in female Ph.D. enrolment.

India/State/UT	Total Higher Education Enrolment			India/State/UTs	% share of Higher Education Enrolment
	Male	Female	Both		Male	Female	Both
India				India
2021-22	22576389	20691792	43268181	2021-22	52.18	47.82	100.00
2020-21	21237910	20142803	41380713	2020-21	51.32	48.68	100.00
2019-20	19643747	18892612	38536359	2019-20	50.97	49.03	100.00
2018-19	19209888	18189500	37399388	2018-19	51.36	48.64	100.00
2017-18	19204675	17437703	36642378	2017-18	52.41	47.59	100.00
				Annual Growth Rate: 2017-18 to 2021-22	4.13	4.37	4.24
A & N Islands					Male	Female	Total
2021-22	5200	6227	11427	2021-22	45.51	54.49	100.00
2020-21	5534	6431	11965	2020-21	46.25	53.75	100.00
2019-20	4532	5599	10131	2019-20	44.73	55.27	100.00
2018-19	5103	6408	11511	2018-19	44.33	55.67	100.00
2017-18	5241	5359	10600	2017-18	49.44	50.56	100.00
				Annual Growth Rate: 2017-18 to 2021-22	-0.20	3.82	1.90
Andhra Pradesh					Male	Female	Total
2021-22	1028739	900420	1929159	2021-22	53.33	46.67	100.00
2020-21	1056065	931553	1987618	2020-21	53.13	46.87	100.00
2019-20	1021126	876023	1897149	2019-20	53.82	46.18	100.00
2018-19	964806	796024	1760830	2018-19	54.79	45.21	100.00
2017-18	946798	750484	1697282	2017-18	55.78	44.22	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	2.10	4.66	3.25
Arunachal Pradesh					Male	Female	Total
2021-22	34995	29895	64890	2021-22	53.93	46.07	100.00
2020-21	31465	28270	59735	2020-21	52.67	47.33	100.00
2019-20	28801	27015	55816	2019-20	51.60	48.40	100.00
2018-19	23724	23444	47168	2018-19	50.30	49.70	100.00
2017-18	25213	22251	47464	2017-18	53.12	46.88	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	8.54	7.66	8.13
Assam					Male	Female	Total
2021-22	333926	344086	678012	2021-22	49.25	50.75	100.00
2020-21	341985	355108	697093	2020-21	49.06	50.94	100.00
2019-20	316908	333693	650601	2019-20	48.71	51.29	100.00
2018-19	347484	352679	700163	2018-19	49.63	50.37	100.00
2017-18	336939	341405	678344	2017-18	49.67	50.33	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	-0.22	0.20	-0.01
Bihar					Male	Female	Total
2021-22	1447460	1175486	2622946	2021-22	55.18	44.82	100.00
2020-21	1309402	1051539	2360941	2020-21	55.46	44.54	100.00
2019-20	969902	768530	1738432	2019-20	55.79	44.21	100.00
2018-19	920485	686523	1607008	2018-19	57.28	42.72	100.00
2017-18	872270	642325	1514595	2017-18	57.59	42.41	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	13.50	16.31	14.72
Chandigarh					Male	Female	Total
2021-22	55291	55712	111003	2021-22	49.81	50.19	100.00
2020-21	54809	55656	110465	2020-21	49.62	50.38	100.00
2019-20	53170	53497	106667	2019-20	49.85	50.15	100.00
2018-19	48566	50443	99009	2018-19	49.05	50.95	100.00
2017-18	54059	51771	105829	2017-18	51.08	48.92	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	0.56	1.85	1.20
Chhattisgarh					Male	Female	Total
2021-22	298601	357740	656341	2021-22	45.49	54.51	100.00
2020-21	302840	350565	653405	2020-21	46.35	53.65	100.00
2019-20	272813	313582	586395	2019-20	46.52	53.48	100.00
2018-19	282785	304139	586924	2018-19	48.18	51.82	100.00
2017-18	287143	287718	574861	2017-18	49.95	50.05	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	0.98	5.60	3.37
Delhi				Delhi	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	585353	560037	1145390	2021-22	51.11	48.89	100.00
2020-21	564849	541422	1106271	2020-21	51.06	48.94	100.00
2019-20	578747	554109	1132856	2019-20	51.09	48.91	100.00
2018-19	549782	527774	1077556	2018-19	51.02	48.98	100.00
2017-18	565089	499317	1064406	2017-18	53.09	46.91	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	0.88	2.91	1.85
Goa					Male	Female	Total
2021-22	35398	30017	65415	2021-22	54.11	45.89	100.00
2020-21	29404	30881	60285	2020-21	48.77	51.23	100.00
2019-20	25055	27727	52782	2019-20	47.47	52.53	100.00
2018-19	26967	27713	54680	2018-19	49.32	50.68	100.00
2017-18	24743	24898	49641	2017-18	49.84	50.16	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	9.37	4.79	7.14
Gujarat				Gujarat	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	1009666	787996	1797662	2021-22	56.17	43.83	100.00
2020-21	938144	714986	1653130	2020-21	56.75	43.25	100.00
2019-20	864967	679873	1544840	2019-20	55.99	44.01	100.00
2018-19	832946	645106	1478052	2018-19	56.35	43.65	100.00
2017-18	827611	625644	1453255	2017-18	56.95	43.05	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	5.10	5.94	5.46
Haryana				Haryana	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	542146	562386	1104532	2021-22	49.08	50.92	100.00
2020-21	517813	511346	1029159	2020-21	50.31	49.69	100.00
2019-20	460487	473054	933541	2019-20	49.33	50.67	100.00
2018-19	457289	471604	928893	2018-19	49.23	50.77	100.00
2017-18	467389	446054	913443	2017-18	51.17	48.83	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	3.78	5.96	4.86
Himachal Pradesh				Himachal Pradesh	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	147143	172508	319651	2021-22	46.03	53.97	100.00
2020-21	133196	156389	289585	2020-21	46.00	54.00	100.00
2019-20	132231	157257	289488	2019-20	45.68	54.32	100.00
2018-19	129449	154411	283860	2018-19	45.60	54.40	100.00
2017-18	128336	147372	275708	2017-18	46.55	53.45	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	3.48	4.02	3.77
Jammu & Kashmir				Jammu & Kashmir	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	192954	207469	400423	2021-22	48.19	51.81	100.00
2020-21	193476	205378	398854	2020-21	48.51	51.49	100.00
2019-20	199249	196167	395416	2019-20	50.39	49.61	100.00
2018-19	195270	198829	394099	2018-19	49.55	50.45	100.00
2017-18	177022	182208	359230	2017-18	49.28	50.72	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	2.18	3.30	2.75
Jharkhand				Jharkhand	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	450106	429859	879965	2021-22	51.15	48.85	100.00
2020-21	393349	393338	786687	2020-21	50.00	50.00	100.00
2019-20	408859	408701	817560	2019-20	50.01	49.99	100.00
2018-19	377741	361743	739484	2018-19	51.08	48.92	100.00
2017-18	354095	334627	688722	2017-18	51.41	48.59	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	6.18	6.46	6.32
Karnataka				Karnataka	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	1258004	1178536	2436540	2021-22	51.63	48.37	100.00
2020-21	1223601	1216836	2440437	2020-21	50.14	49.86	100.00
2019-20	1088883	1099009	2187892	2019-20	49.77	50.23	100.00
2018-19	993417	995077	1988494	2018-19	49.96	50.04	100.00
2017-18	971393	972463	1943856	2017-18	49.97	50.03	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	6.68	4.92	5.81
Kerala				Kerala	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	554572	749873	1304445	2021-22	42.51	57.49	100.00
2020-21	559625	804911	1364536	2020-21	41.01	58.99	100.00
2019-20	484849	653004	1137853	2019-20	42.61	57.39	100.00
2018-19	458200	637642	1095842	2018-19	41.81	58.19	100.00
2017-18	480178	602739	1082917	2017-18	44.34	55.66	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	3.67	5.61	4.76
Ladakh				Ladakh	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	1571	2869	4440	2021-22	35.38	64.62	100.00
2020-21	1108	2039	3147	2020-21	35.21	64.79	100.00
2019-20	999	1898	2897	2019-20	34.48	65.52	100.00
				AAGR: 2019-20 to 2021-22	25.40	22.95	23.80
Lakshadweep				Lakshadweep	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	14	74	88	2021-22	15.91	84.09	100.00
2020-21	133	427	560	2020-21	23.75	76.25	100.00
2019-20	133	427	560	2019-20	23.75	76.25	100.00
2018-19	127	418	545	2018-19	23.30	76.70	100.00
2017-18	116	436	552	2017-18	21.01	78.99	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	-41.06	-35.81	-36.81
Madhya Pradesh				Madhya Pradesh	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	1505908	1294257	2800165	2021-22	53.78	46.22	100.00
2020-21	1374036	1224525	2598561	2020-21	52.88	47.12	100.00
2019-20	1144576	1037578	2182154	2019-20	52.45	47.55	100.00
2018-19	1027738	901606	1929344	2018-19	53.27	46.73	100.00
2017-18	1023418	862060	1885479	2017-18	54.28	45.72	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	10.14	10.69	10.39
Maharashtra				Maharashtra	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	2542831	2035012	4577843	2021-22	55.55	44.45	100.00
2020-21	2491897	2054252	4546149	2020-21	54.81	45.19	100.00
2019-20	2313862	1951610	4265472	2019-20	54.25	45.75	100.00
2018-19	2324424	1905902	4230326	2018-19	54.95	45.05	100.00
2017-18	2271078	1860679	4131757	2017-18	54.97	45.03	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	2.87	2.26	2.60
Manipur				Manipur	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	66234	64154	130388	2021-22	50.80	49.20	100.00
2020-21	68916	69583	138499	2020-21	49.76	50.24	100.00
2019-20	60918	63620	124538	2019-20	48.92	51.08	100.00
2018-19	54679	55698	110377	2018-19	49.54	50.46	100.00
2017-18	51271	53409	104680	2017-18	48.98	51.02	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	6.61	4.69	5.64
Meghalaya				Meghalaya	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	43588	52865	96453	2021-22	45.19	54.81	100.00
2020-21	43104	54480	97584	2020-21	44.17	55.83	100.00
2019-20	39844	47697	87541	2019-20	45.51	54.49	100.00
2018-19	39461	47470	86931	2018-19	45.39	54.61	100.00
2017-18	40428	43394	83822	2017-18	48.23	51.77	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	1.90	5.06	3.57
Mizoram				Mizoram	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	23191	23580	46771	2021-22	49.58	50.42	100.00
2020-21	19201	19509	38710	2020-21	49.60	50.40	100.00
2019-20	17156	16080	33236	2019-20	51.62	48.38	100.00
2018-19	16852	15986	32838	2018-19	51.32	48.68	100.00
2017-18	15861	13634	29495	2017-18	53.78	46.22	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	9.96	14.68	12.22
Nagaland				Nagaland	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	23557	27666	51223	2021-22	45.99	54.01	100.00
2020-21	21750	25204	46954	2020-21	46.32	53.68	100.00
2019-20	20255	24306	44561	2019-20	45.45	54.55	100.00
2018-19	21987	23475	45462	2018-19	48.36	51.64	100.00
2017-18	22118	21439	43557	2017-18	50.78	49.22	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	1.59	6.58	4.14
Odisha				Odisha	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	581167	492712	1073879	2021-22	54.12	45.88	100.00
2020-21	525883	481139	1007022	2020-21	52.22	47.78	100.00
2019-20	529226	465703	994929	2019-20	53.19	46.81	100.00
2018-19	558364	460828	1019192	2018-19	54.78	45.22	100.00
2017-18	549575	466202	1015777	2017-18	54.10	45.90	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	1.41	1.39	1.40
Puducherry				Puducherry	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	44821	49822	94643	2021-22	47.36	52.64	100.00
2020-21	43187	48066	91253	2020-21	47.33	52.67	100.00
2019-20	38156	41968	80124	2019-20	47.62	52.38	100.00
2018-19	36894	40448	77342	2018-19	47.70	52.30	100.00
2017-18	36094	36967	73061	2017-18	49.40	50.60	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	5.56	7.75	6.68
Punjab				Punjab	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	434616	424128	858744	2021-22	50.61	49.39	100.00
2020-21	418244	415091	833335	2020-21	50.19	49.81	100.00
2019-20	425331	444132	869463	2019-20	48.92	51.08	100.00
2018-19	436730	482846	919576	2018-19	47.49	52.51	100.00
2017-18	479106	480430	959536	2017-18	49.93	50.07	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	-2.41	-3.07	-2.74
Rajasthan				Rajasthan	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	1430283	1259057	2689340	2021-22	53.18	46.82	100.00
2020-21	1278304	1154486	2432790	2020-21	52.54	47.46	100.00
2019-20	1151186	1055331	2206517	2019-20	52.17	47.83	100.00
2018-19	1082466	1001947	2084413	2018-19	51.93	48.07	100.00
2017-18	1054511	881693	1936204	2017-18	54.46	45.54	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	7.92	9.32	8.56
Sikkim				Sikkim	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	16274	17487	33761	2021-22	48.20	51.80	100.00
2020-21	16707	18067	34774	2020-21	48.04	51.96	100.00
2019-20	33049	25022	58071	2019-20	56.91	43.09	100.00
2018-19	21489	20083	41572	2018-19	51.69	48.31	100.00
2017-18	13588	15413	29000	2017-18	46.86	53.15	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	4.61	3.21	3.87
Tamil Nadu				Tamil Nadu	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	1698112	1611215	3309327	2021-22	51.31	48.69	100.00
2020-21	1662153	1674286	3336439	2020-21	49.82	50.18	100.00
2019-20	1778186	1742125	3520311	2019-20	50.51	49.49	100.00
2018-19	1736870	1677326	3414196	2018-19	50.87	49.13	100.00
2017-18	1739315	1701630	3440945	2017-18	50.55	49.45	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	-0.60	-1.36	-0.97
Telangana				Telangana	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	793353	803327	1596680	2021-22	49.69	50.31	100.00
2020-21	775309	798477	1573786	2020-21	49.26	50.74	100.00
2019-20	672768	716840	1389608	2019-20	48.41	51.59	100.00
2018-19	701229	725232	1426461	2018-19	49.16	50.84	100.00
2017-18	735333	683974	1419307	2017-18	51.81	48.19	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	1.92	4.10	2.99
D & N Haveli and Daman & Diu				D & N Haveli and Daman & Diu	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	6683	6122	12805	2021-22	52.19	47.81	100.00
2020-21	5948	5622	11570	2020-21	51.41	48.59	100.00
2019-20	5320	5005	10325	2019-20	51.53	48.47	100.00
2018-19	4994	4511	9505	2018-19	52.54	47.46	100.00
2017-18	4658	4208	8866	2017-18	52.54	47.46	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	9.44	9.83	9.63
Tripura				Tripura	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	53538	47013	100551	2021-22	53.24	46.76	100.00
2020-21	48428	44232	92660	2020-21	52.26	47.74	100.00
2019-20	47031	39216	86247	2019-20	54.53	45.47	100.00
2018-19	44456	38247	82703	2018-19	53.75	46.25	100.00
2017-18	50247	41435	91681	2017-18	54.81	45.19	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	1.60	3.21	2.34
Uttar Pradesh				Uttar Pradesh	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	3669318	3304106	6973424	2021-22	52.62	47.38	100.00
2020-21	3397012	3254055	6651067	2020-21	51.07	48.93	100.00
2019-20	3136650	3251564	6388214	2019-20	49.10	50.90	100.00
2018-19	3189520	3279847	6469367	2018-19	49.30	50.70	100.00
2017-18	3308314	3147061	6455375	2017-18	51.25	48.75	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	2.62	1.22	1.95
Uttarakhand				Uttarakhand	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	286149	281555	567704	2021-22	50.40	49.60	100.00
2020-21	304850	315301	620151	2020-21	49.16	50.84	100.00
2019-20	248893	244386	493279	2019-20	50.46	49.54	100.00
2018-19	241083	227172	468255	2018-19	51.49	48.51	100.00
2017-18	224608	212543	437150	2017-18	51.38	48.62	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	6.24	7.28	6.75
West Bengal				West Bengal	Male	Female	Total
2021-22	1375627	1346524	2722151	2021-22	50.53	49.47	100.00
2020-21	1086183	1129353	2215536	2020-21	49.03	50.97	100.00
2019-20	1069629	1091264	2160893	2019-20	49.50	50.50	100.00
2018-19	1056511	1040899	2097410	2018-19	50.37	49.63	100.00
2017-18	1061520	974461	2035981	2017-18	52.14	47.86	100.00
				AAGR: 2017-18 to 2021-22	6.69	8.42	7.53
Source: AISHE 2021-22, Ministry of Education, Government of India.

NEP 2020 Resolution to attain 50 percent Increase in HE Enrolment by 2035

Regarding challenges, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 resolution aims to achieve a 50 percent increase in higher education enrolment by 2035. This ambitious goal presents challenges such as ensuring equitable access to higher education, improving the quality of education, and addressing the infrastructure and resource constraints in educational institutions.

To address these challenges and achieve the NEP 2020 targets, the Government of India has recently launched several initiatives. These include efforts to expand digital infrastructure and online learning platforms, promote skill development and vocational education, enhance research and innovation, and strengthen collaboration with international educational institutions. Additionally, the government is focusing on improving the employability of graduates and fostering a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in higher education.

In conclusion, the AISHE 2021-22 provides valuable insights into the present state of higher education in India and the progress towards achieving the goals outlined in the NEP 2020. With concerted efforts and strategic initiatives, the government aims to overcome the challenges and realize the vision of a robust and inclusive higher education system in India.

                           Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the goal of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 resolution? A: The goal is to achieve a 50 percent increase in higher education enrolment by 2035.

Q: What are the challenges in achieving the NEP 2020 targets? A: Challenges include equitable access to higher education, improving education quality, and addressing infrastructure and resource constraints.

Q: What initiatives has the Government of India launched to achieve the NEP 2020 targets? A: Initiatives include expanding digital infrastructure, promoting skill development, enhancing research and innovation, and strengthening collaboration with international institutions.

Q: What are the major findings of the All-India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-22? A: Major findings include the expansion of higher education institutions, gender parity and empowerment, representation of marginalized communities, internationalization of education, and faculty gender diversity.

Q: How can the findings of AISHE 2021-22 contribute to the 50 percent increase in higher education enrolment by 2035? A: The findings highlight areas for improvement, such as ensuring quality education in new institutions, addressing retention and completion rates for marginalized communities, integrating international students, and promoting faculty gender diversity.