According to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education reports, UG enrolment in India has dropped for the first time, falling by nearly 1 lakh students, even though postgraduate, PhD, and overall higher education admissions continue to rise slightly.
Education experts attribute this unexpected dip to a combination of shifting government policies and changing economic realities. Specifically, the NEP heavily promotes vocational and skill-based training starting right from school, while its "multiple-exit" option allows students to leave college early with just a certificate or diploma instead of finishing a full degree.
Furthermore, reduced public funding has driven up college fees, and several critical student scholarship schemes have been stopped, making higher education less affordable for disadvantaged families.
Combined with a shrinking youth population and growing disillusionment among young people who see low value and poor job prospects in a traditional college degree, these factors have collectively driven down undergraduate numbers.
