Archive · 26 Aug 2026
NITI Aayog Urges Job-Linked Reforms for India’s Degrees
NITI Aayog studied whether college courses help students get suitable jobs.
It found that many students choose broad degrees such as B.A., B.Sc.
and B.Com.
These courses do not always teach the skills that employers need.
Only 8.25% of graduates are reported to work in jobs matching their qualifications.
Many graduates are unemployed, especially graduate women.
The report says colleges should offer more specialised and practical courses.
It also recommends apprenticeships so students can gain work experience while studying.
Flexible options could let students learn while working.
NITI Aayog says businesses and colleges should work together to improve courses and job opportunities.
NITI Aayog says India’s higher education system has a structural imbalance between degrees and employment.
Only 8.25% of graduates reportedly work in roles aligned with their qualifications, while graduate unemployment remains high.
Of 3.4 crore undergraduates, 1.13 crore study for B.A. degrees, and more than 2 crore study B.A., B.Sc. or B.Com.
The report recommends specialised degrees, apprenticeships, flexible learning and stronger industry partnerships.
Government-job competition is intense, with 1.86 crore applications for 55,000 posts between November 2024 and July 2025.
- Who
- NITI Aayog and students and graduates in India’s higher and technical education system.
- What
- A report called for reforms to make degrees, technical education and skilling more closely connected to employment.
- When
- The report was released the previous week; it cites data from November 2024 to July 2025 and the Economic Survey 2024–25.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- Because many students pursue generic degrees with weak job links, while many graduates work outside their qualifications or remain unemployed.
- Report
- Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat
- Undergraduate enrolment
- 3.4 crore students
- B.A. enrolment
- 1.13 crore students
- B.A., B.Sc. and B.Com. enrolment
- More than 2 crore students combined
- Qualification-aligned employment
- 8.25% of graduates, according to the cited Economic Survey 2024–25 data
- Graduate unemployment
- 13% of all graduates and 20.4% of graduate women, compared with a national rate of 3.2%
- Government-job competition
- 1.86 crore applications for 55,000 posts between November 2024 and July 2025
- Recommended reforms
- Specialised job-linked programmes, apprenticeship-embedded degrees, flexible learning and industry-led PPP models
