More Women Gain Access to Higher Education Here

The latest survey on higher education in India shows a significant increase in female enrollment, most notably in historically disadvantaged communities. This is a sign that women have carved a greater place for themselves.

“The enrolment of SC [Scheduled Castes] Female students increased to 3.17 million in 2021-22 from 2.9 million in 2020-21 and 2.1 million in 2014-15,” says the Ministry of Education, quoting the survey. “There has been an increase of 51% since 2014-15.”

According to the All India Survey on Higher Education 2021-22, female enrollment in higher education increased to 20.07 million from 10.57 in 2014-15 – 10.5 million students, or 32%. Government universities account for 58.6% of universities in India, contributing to 73.7% of total enrollment, which leaves 26.3% of total enrollment to private universities. The proportion of female faculty/teachers has increased by 22% since 2014-15, with “a marginal betterment of female per 100 male faculty from 75 in 2020-21 to 77 in 2021-22,” as per the survey.