Over the past five academic years, enrolment patterns in India’s higher education system have changed. While the arts accounted for the largest share of enrolment between 2019–20 and 2023–24, medical and management courses expanded their share. Engineering, despite remaining one of the country’s largest professional courses, saw little change in the share during the period.
According to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education data released by the Ministry of Education for the academic year 2023–24, the arts accounted for 32.1 per cent of total enrolment, followed by science and engineering at 13.5 per cent and 12.9 per cent, respectively. Compared with 2019–20, medical and management courses expanded their share of enrolment, while science and commerce registered declines. Engineering, meanwhile, continued to account for nearly 13 out of every 100 students in higher education.
The data also revealed a sharp gender divide within the country’s two biggest professional streams. While women are the majority in medical education, they are a minority in engineering. According to the survey, female enrolment increased from 1.89 crore in 2019–20 to 2.24 crore in 2023–24. That’s an 18.3 per cent increase over five years.
However, this increase has not translated into a comparable rise in women’s representation in engineering. Women made up 31 per cent of engineering enrolment in 2023–24, up only slightly from 29.2 per cent in 2019–20. Men accounted for the remaining 69 per cent.
Meanwhile, women accounted for 57 per cent of medical enrolment in 2023–24, compared with 43 per cent for men. Notably, however, the female share eased slightly from 59.5 per cent in 2019–20.
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