Only 2.5% colleges offer PhD options, Science grabs lion's share: HRD Min

Only 2.5 per cent colleges in the country run PhD programmes and maximum students opt for PhD in science stream, according to the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) by the HRD Ministry.

A total of 169,170 students are enrolled in PhD programmes that is less than 0.5 per cent of the total student enrolment.

For the annual survey, the higher education institutions are categorized in 3 broad categories--university, college and stand-alone institutions. A total of 962 universities; 38,179 colleges and 9190 stand alone institutions participated in the survey for the year 2018-19.

Only 2.5 per cent colleges run PhD programme and 34.9 per cent colleges run post graduate level programmes. At PhD level, maximum numbers of students out-turn is in science stream followed by engineering and technology. On the other hand at PG level maximum students out-turn is observed in social science and management stream comes at number two, according to the survey report.

The share of PhD.student is highest in State Public University (34.3 per cent) followed by Institute of National Importance (21.6 per cent), Deemed University-Private (21.6 per cent) and State Private University (13.4 per cent)

The ASHE report pointed out that about 79.8 per cent of students are enrolled in undergraduate level programme.

"Maximum numbers of students are enrolled in B.A. programme followed by B.Sc. and B.Com. programmes. At Undergraduate level the highest number (35.9 per cent) of students are enrolled in arts, humanities or social sciences courses followed by science (16.5 per cent), engineering and technology (13.5 per cent) and commerce (14.1 per cent), the report said.

There are 34.8 per cent colleges, which run only single programme, out of which 83.1 per cent are privately managed.

Among these privately managed colleges, 38.1 per cent colleges run B.Ed courses only. 77.8 per cent colleges are privately managed, 64.3 pc private-unaided and 13.5 per cent private-aided. Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have about 88 per cent private-unaided colleges and Tamil Nadu has 87 per cent private-unaided colleges, whereas, Assam has 16 per cent.

"Around 16.3 per cent of colleges are having enrolment less than 100 and only 4 per cent colleges have enrolment more than 3000, the report said.