The higher education system in India includes both private and public universities. Public universities are supported by the Government of India and the state governments, while private universities are mostly supported by various bodies and societies. Universities in India are recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which draws its power from the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 . [1] In addition, 16 Professional Councils are established, controlling different aspects of accreditation and coordination. [2] The types of universities controlled by the UGC include Central universities, [3] [4] State universities, [5] Deemed universities [6] and Private universities [7]
In addition to the above universities, other institutions are granted the permission to autonomously award degrees, and while not called "university" by name, act as such. They usually fall under the administrative control of the Department of Higher Education. In official documents they are called "autonomous bodies", [8] "university-level institutions", [9] or even simply "other central institutions". [10] Such institutes include:
The National Institutes of Technology (NITs) are prestigious centrally funded technical institutes under the ownership of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. They are governed by the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education, and Research Act, 2007, which declared them institutions of national importance and laid down their powers, duties, and framework for governance. The act lists 31 NITs. Each NIT is autonomous and linked to the others through a common council known as the Council of NITSER, which oversees their administration. All NITs are funded by the Government of India.
In India, a deemed university or deemed-to-be-university is an accreditation granted to higher educational institutions in India by the Ministry of Education. According to the ministry's definition, the accreditation indicates, "an Institution of higher education, other than universities, working at a very high standard in specific area of study" and the accreditation grants "the academic status and privileges of a university."
University Grants Commission (UGC) is a statutory body under Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India. It was set up in accordance to the UGC Act 1956 and is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education in India. It provides recognition to universities in India, and disbursements of funds to such recognized universities and colleges. The headquarters are in New Delhi, and it has six regional centres in Pune, Bhopal, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Bangalore. A proposal to replace it with another new regulatory body called HECI is under consideration by the Government of India. The UGC provides doctoral scholarships to all those who clear JRF in the National Eligibility Test. On an average, each year ₹725 crore (US$91 million) is spent on doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships by the commission.
National Institute of Technology Durgapur, formerly known as Regional Engineering College, Durgapur, is a public technical university in the city of Durgapur in West Bengal, India. Founded in 1960, it is one of India's oldest technical universities. It is located on a campus of 187 acres (0.75 km²).
Department of Higher Education is the department under Ministry of Education, that oversees higher education in India.
Previously a neglected aspect of the Indian Central government, Education in Odisha is witnessing a rapid transformation. Its capital city, Bhubaneswar, is emerging as a knowledge hub in India with several new public and private universities, including the establishment of an Indian Institute of Technology after five decades of demand.
Institute of National Importance (INI) is a status that may be conferred on a premier public higher education institution in India by an act of Parliament of India, an institution which "serves as a pivotal player in developing highly skilled personnel within the specified region of the country/state". Institutes of National Importance receive special recognition, higher autonomy and funding from the Government of India.
The National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research Act, 2007 was enacted by the Parliament of India to declare India's National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) and Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) as Institutes of National Importance. The former Act received the assent of the President of India on 5 June 2007 and became effective on Independence Day, 2007. The National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research Act, 2007 is the second law for technical education institutions after the Indian Institutes of Technology Act of 1961.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) is a ministry of the Government of India, responsible for the implementation of the National Policy on Education. The ministry is further divided into two departments: the Department of School Education and Literacy, which deals with primary, secondary and higher secondary education, adult education and literacy, and the Department of Higher Education, which deals with university level education, technical education, scholarships, etc.
India has a publicly funded higher education system that is the third largest in the world. The main governing body at the tertiary level is the University Grants Commission, which enforces its standards, advises the government, and helps coordinate between the centre and the state. Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by 15 autonomous institutions established by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) are prestigious centrally funded technical institutes located across India. They are a group of 25 interdisciplinary technology-based-engineering research institutions in India which are focused on information technology. Five of them are established, funded and managed by the Ministry of Education (MOE). The other 20 are set up on the public-private partnership (PPP) model, funded by the central government, state governments and industry partners in the ratio 50:35:15.
Two major engineering entrance examinations are used for admission to engineering institutes across India, Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) and All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE). In 2010, a proposal for a common engineering entrance examination was made by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The proposal has gone through several names and formats, and is expected to enter use in 2024. Yet, the common entrance exam for all engineering courses in India has not become effective, even for academic year 2021–22.
India has the largest numbers of engineers as well as the largest number of engineering education institutes and infrastructure in the world. As of 2021, India annually produces fifteen lakh engineering graduates. India's technical education infrastructure includes 2500 engineering colleges, 1400 polytechnics and 200 schools of planning and architecture.
Rashtriya Uchchattar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is a holistic scheme of development for higher education in India initiated in 2013 by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. The centrally sponsored scheme aims at providing strategic funding to higher educational institutions throughout the country. Funding is provided by the central ministry through the state governments and union territories (UT), which in coordination with the central Project Appraisal Board will monitor the academic, administrative and financial advancements taken under the scheme. A total of 316 state public universities and 13,024 colleges will be covered under it.
National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a ranking methodology adopted by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India. The framework was approved by the erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Development and launched by the Minister on 29 September 2015.
Institutes of Eminence (IoE) is a recognition scheme for higher education institutes in India, set by the University Grants Commission in 2017. The plan encompasses twenty institutions, twelve of which have already been declared Institutes of Eminence as of April 2021. Recognised institutes are granted more autonomy, both administratively and academically, are allowed to open offshore campuses, and will enjoy better collaboration opportunities with global universities. Public institutions are granted up to ₹1,000 crore ; no funding is awarded to private institutions.