In the previous article (Learning curve, May 17, 2025), I summed up the present institutional network of higher educational institutions in India. In this part, I will summarise the composition of students, courses they choose, and the number and composition of foreign students and teaching staff.

In the year ending December 31, 2021, the total estimated number of students enrolled in higher education was nearly 4.33 crore, out of which 2.07 crore students were female. Out of the total number of students, 15.3% were SC, 6.3% were ST and 37.8% were OBC.

Further, 4.9% of students were from the Muslim community, and 2.09% of students were from other minority communities. Across communities, the proportion of female students was almost 50%. There were about 88750 students with disabilities: 51300 male and 37450 female.

About 3.41 crore (78.9%) students were enrolled in undergraduate courses, followed by 52.18 lakhs (12.06%) enrolled at the post-graduation level and about 2.13 lakhs (0.5%) students enrolled for PhDs. About 29 lakh students (6.74%) were enrolled for diploma courses, primarily in technical/polytechnic, nursing and teacher training courses.

About 1.13 crore students, the highest among all courses, were enrolled for the B.A. course (51% female), followed by the B.Sc. with 49.66 lakh students (50.8% female) and the B. Com. with 43.4 lakh students (47.2% female). Engineering and Technology had 39.04 lakh students enrolled (29.1% female). In education, 17.19 lakh students........

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