More Indian students are abandoning higher education as degrees no longer seem worth the cost

While the youth protests were underway at the Jantar Mantar in the first week of July, the Central government published two crucial reports on higher education enrollment: the All India Survey on Higher Education for 2022-’23 and 2023-’24.

The findings were alarming. For the first time since 2011, there has been a decline in the number of Indian students pursuing undergraduate degrees. In 2023-’24, undergraduate enrolment decreased by 93,321 students compared with the previous academic year, representing a decline of 0.29%. This decline at national level might look small. But for a developing country like India enrollments for higher education are supposed to grow fast and decline.

Maharashtra was among the states with the sharpest declines: 5% of Class 12 students here did not enroll in the undergraduate enrollment. This means that nearly 200,000 fewer young people in the state opted for degree programmes compared to the previous year. The number dropped from 35,04,046 in 2023-’24 from 36,88,956 in 2022-’23.

The case of Maharashtra is striking, as it is one of the most industrially advanced states in the country. It is home to cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Aurangabad which provide jobs in the manufacturing and service sectors. The declining importance of degrees among...

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