Parliament Question: Student Composition in IITs, IIMs, IISERs and Central Universities

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2359 ANSWERED ON 03.08.2026 Student Composition in IITs, IIMs, IISERs and Central Universities 2359. Km. Sudha R: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the total intake of students in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) and Central Universities; (b) the number of male, female and transgender students enrolled in these institutions; (c) the details of achievement of social justice to students belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in these institutions; (d) whether the Government has any proposal to increase the student intake in these institutions and if so, the details thereof, including whether the intake of OBC, SC and ST students is likely to be increased proportionately, institution-wise; and (e) the details of Central Government funding to each of these institutions since the year 2020? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR) (a) & (b): As per All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE),2023-24, total intake and gender-wise total enrolment in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) and Central Universities is as under-: Student Enrolment Type of Institutions Intake Male Female Transgender Total Central University 2,76,988 4,11,643 3,83,824 6 7,95,467 IIT 34,553 1,14,305 35,534 10 1,49,839 IIM 9,956 15,445 7,552 - 22,997 IISER 2,642 6,886 4,760 - 11,646 (c): Category-wise enrolment share of SCs/STs/OBCs in IITs, IIMs, IISERs and CUs, as per AISHE for the years 2014-15 and 2023-24 is as under-:2023-24 2014-15 % % % % % % share share Total SC share ST share OBC Total SC share ST share OBC of of of SC of ST of SC of ST OBC OBC 979949 127376 13% 44214 5% 191402 20% 771763 83474 11% 31056 4% 110638 14% As evident from the data above, the percentage share of enrolment of SCs/STs/OBCs students in IITs, IIMs, IISERs and CUs has shown an increase in the year 2023-24 as compared to the year 2014-15. (d): Education being in the Concurrent List, increasing participation of all communities in education is the responsibility of both the Central and State Governments. Various schemes/ projects/ programmes run by the Ministry have been aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. NEP 2020 aims to ensure that no child loses opportunity to learn and excel because of the circumstances of birth or background. This policy aims at bridging the social category gaps in access, participation, and learning outcomes, including providing greater access to women. Since 2014, 16 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), 8 Central Universities (CUs), 8 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), 7 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), 2 Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), 1 National Institute of Technology (NIT) and 12 new AIIMS have been established. Further, in pursuance of the Budget announcement 2025-26, Government has approved expansion of academic and infrastructure capacity including creation of Research Park of five new IITs which have been established in the State/UT of Andhra Pradesh (IIT Tirupati), Kerala (IIT Palakkad), Chhattisgarh (IIT Bhilai), Jammu & Kashmir (IIT Jammu) and Karnataka (IIT Dharwad) with a total outlay of Rs. 11,828.79 crore, which would facilitate education for additional 6,500 students. Union Budget 2026-27 has announced setting up of 5 University Townships in the vicinity of major industrial and logistic corridors and 1 girls’ hostel in every district through Viability Gap Funding /capital support to encourage enrolment of girls in STEM institutes/ courses. The Government has notified the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, wherein reservation of seats in Central Educational Institutions is implemented, which is 15%, 7.5% and 27% of the annual permitted strength in each branch of study or faculty for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) respectively. The Central Government has also taken various measures to promote higher education among the students across the nation, such as fee reductions, establishment of more institutes, scholarships, priority access to national level scholarships to aid students with poor financial backgrounds to pursue their education. Government is implementing various Scholarships and Fellowships to promote access to higher education for students including students from socially disadvantaged groups for all HEIs including eligible Private Institutions. (e): Details of Year-wise funding in IITs, IIMs, IISERs and CUs from the year 2020-21 to 2025-26 is as under:- (Rs. in crore) Year IITs IIMs IISERs CUs 2020-21 6,455.28 465.22 992.96 8,202.53 2021-22 7,851.62 651 1,032.05 8,447.59 2022-23 8,540.32 593.60 1,353.41 10,526.07 2023-24 9,716.57 307.24 1,447.48 11,246.88 2024-25 10,187.46 219.40 1,459.30 15,667.63 2025-26 11,381.21 278.65 1,328.54 16,730.17 *****