Archive · 1 Oct 2026
India's Higher Education Expands, But Regional Capacity Gaps Persist
India has built many more colleges and universities over the past 25 years.
The number of colleges available for young people has increased sharply.
However, these institutions are not spread evenly across the country.
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand have many young people but fewer institutions for them.
Students in these states also enroll in higher education at lower rates than the national average.
Many colleges are concentrated in a small number of districts, such as Bengaluru Urban and Jaipur.
This means some places have many education options while others face shortages.
The report says India should build colleges and universities where future students will live.
It also recommends creating connected education hubs instead of isolated institutions.
India added 34,840 colleges and 980 universities since 2001, raising colleges per lakh people aged 18–23 from nine to 37.
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand have the widest gaps between higher-education capacity and the size of their young populations.
Higher-education GER in 2023–24 was 17.66% in Bihar, 19.43% in Jharkhand and 25.97% in Uttar Pradesh, compared with about 30% nationally.
Twenty districts account for 28% of India’s universities, while Bengaluru Urban and Jaipur have the country’s largest college concentrations.
The report recommends building connected higher-education ecosystems in emerging demographic centres rather than adding isolated institutions.
- Who
- Jetri and Impactica.org released the report, which examines India’s higher-education institutions and capacity.
- What
- The report found that higher-education capacity has expanded nationwide but remains unevenly distributed, with major gaps in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
- When
- The report was released Wednesday; its participation figures include the 2023–24 academic year.
- Where
- Across India, with the largest reported capacity gaps in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand and major institutional concentrations in districts such as Bengaluru Urban and Jaipur.
- Why
- The report argues that capacity must be aligned with the location and future growth of India’s young population to prevent widening regional disparities in access.
- Report title
- The Geography of Higher Education in India
- Report publishers
- Jetri and Impactica.org
- Expansion since 2001
- 34,840 colleges and 980 universities added
- Colleges per lakh young people
- Increased from 9 to 37 among people aged 18–23
- National higher-education GER
- About 30% in 2023–24
- State GER figures
- Bihar: 17.66%; Jharkhand: 19.43%; Uttar Pradesh: 25.97% in 2023–24
- University concentration
- Twenty districts account for 28% of India’s universities
- Largest college concentrations
- Bengaluru Urban has 1,225 colleges and Jaipur has 809