Lok Sabha Question No. 5878 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Migration of Students to Tier-1 Cities for Higher Education
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Dr. Shashi Tharoor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 5878

ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## Migration of Students to Tier-1 Cities for Higher Education

5878. Dr. Shashi Tharoor:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education for Tier-1, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities separately during the last five academic years, along with disaggregated figures for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities and women;
- (b)  whether  the  Government has data on student migration for higher education from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to Tier-1 cities during the last five years, if so, whether any decline in such migration has been recorded following the establishment of new institutions or decentralized programmes and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of higher education institutions located in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities currently offering credit-linked  minors,  dual  degree  or  industry-integrated  programmes  in  partnership  with  Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) or other national bodies; and
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  assessment  of  household  expenditure  on  higher education, including tuition, relocation,  coaching and digital  learning  costs  and  the  proportion  of household income spent on education across income groups and regions and if so, the key findings thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

- (a):  As  per  All  India  Survey  on  Higher  Education  (AISHE),  2022-23(Provisional),  State-wise, Social Category-wise and Gender-wise Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education is given at  https://www.education.gov.in/parl\_ques
- (b):  As  per  AISHE,  2022-23(Provisional), the  total  enrolment  in  Higher  Education  has  increased from 3.42 crore in 2014-15 to 4.46 crore in 2022-23 in the country. The GER has increased from 23.7 in 2014-15 to 29.5 in 2022-23. Out of total 1,213 Universities/University level Institutions in India,  545  are  in  rural  areas  and  668  in  urban  areas.  National  Education  Policy  (NEP),  2020 encourages imaginative and flexible curricular structures which  enables  creative combinations of disciplines  for  study,  and  offers  multiple  entry  and  exit  points  that  removing  currently  prevalent rigid boundaries and creating new possibilities for life-long learning for students.

(c): The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have made significant strides in expanding academic collaborations  through  joint  and  dual  degree  programmes  with  premier  institutions,  including partnerships with well-established universities and national bodies. IITs actively provide students with  opportunities  for  internships-summer,  winter,  and  semester-long-as  well  as  research projects and industry engagements across a wide range of organizations. These initiatives not only offer  valuable  practical  experience  but  also  foster  strong  connections  between  academia  and industry.  Many  IITs  are  continuously  working  to  strengthen  and  broaden  these  collaborations, supporting advanced learning pathways and professional development for their students, for e.g. ,

- Under  Vidya  Samagam,  IIT Indore selects 50 top Students  from  the  Government Engineering  Colleges  of  Madhya  Pradesh  and  offers  one  full  Semester  in  B.Tech  in  the Institute  campus. The academic credit is transferred to the college as part of their B.Tech course.
- The  Teachers/  Lecturers  of  Government  Engineering  Colleges  of  Madhya  Pradesh  are offered part time Ph.D. program in IIT Indore which helps them in laboratory facilities and research collaboration
- Customised    M.Tech  program  is  offered  to  the  industry  -  Volvo  Eicher  Engineers  at  IIT Indore
- The Kendriya Vidyalaya and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Teachers of Madhya Pradesh are offered residential training in Sciences, Laboratories and Other facilities as part of Faculty development programme
- The State Universities (Bundelkhand, Ujjain, Indore, Nagpur) and IIIT Bhopal are mentored through ANRF - PAIT program at a layout of 30 Crore
- IIT Indore has established 03 laboratories at Ujjain Engineering College in Laser, Makers Space and Astronomy for the Students as part of their B.Tech lab facilities

The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with IIT Madras, has launched the SWAYAM Plus  platform.  The  platform  offers  skill  related  courses  in  collaboration  with  industry  partners, helping learners reskill, upskill, and become employment ready. To achieve objectives of NEP 2020 and ensure availability  of  industry  relevant  knowledge  to  students  of  technical  students,  the  AllIndia Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has taken several steps. These include developing updated model curricula in emerging fields like Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Robotics, and VLSI  with  active  industry  participation;  signing  MoUs  with  leading  organizations  to  promote internships,  skill  development,  and  faculty  training;  making  internships  a  mandatory  component through structured guidelines offering flexible formats; launching an Industry-Academia Mobility framework to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and practical application; providing an AICTE Career Portal to support students-especially in remote areas-with job search, internships, resume  building,  and  interview  preparation;  and  proposing  the  PROFICIENCE  SCHEME  to enhance skills and knowledge across diverse groups, including students, professionals, and lifelong learners.

(d): National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI)  conducts  survey  on  Household  Consumption  Expenditure  at  regular  intervals  wherein information  on  consumption  of  food  and  non-food  items  (like  Education,  Medical,  Conveyance etc.) by the household are collected. The report can be accessed at https://www.mospi.gov.in/themes/product/71-household-consumption-expenditure-surveyhces#latest-release