Annual Status of Higher Education (ASHE), 2024

Indian higher education is entering a transformative era, once again offering education to the world through Indian campuses abroad and drawing in more foreign students and faculty to both domestic institutions and Indian campuses of Foreign Higher Education Institutions (FHEI).

Expanding access and enhancing quality will be key to driving internationalisation, improving the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), and offering flexible, alternative education pathways. The 2024 ASHE report arrives at this pivotal moment, providing insights into these shifts and recent developments in Indian higher education.

A primary focus of the NEP is to enhance multidisciplinary in higher education. One of the key initiatives in this area has been the approval of dual degrees for students, as discussed in Chapter 1 (Dual Degrees for Students).

National higher education qualification and credit frameworks can enhance flexibility, access and equivalence across academics, vocational education and the workforce. Chapter 2 (Role of NHEQF and NCrF in creating a learner-focused education system) analyses this aspect.

To enhance the quality of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), the Government and University Grants Commission (UGC) have institutionalised the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). These ranking and accreditation systems can be the basis of systemic reforms. The third chapter compares these systems to one of the major global ranking frameworks (Analysing rankings and accreditation frameworks).