India’s 10 million students still represent only 12 per cent of their generation

India, with 28 states, six union territories and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, has the largest federal government in the world. It is a democracy by constitutional design and has a population of 1.1 billion. Unlike the “coming together federalism” in the United States and Canada, India’s is a “holding together federalism” where the federal government not only enjoys residual authority and considerable sovereign discretion over the states, but also has many obligations through mandated fiscal transfer payments to the states.

The system of higher education in India is the largest in the world in terms of the number of institutions, but not in student enrolments, despite its massive population.

In India there are some 18,000 institutions of post-secondary education: 17,625 public and private colleges, 217 state universities, 20 central universities, 102 “Deemed to be Universities” – mostly agricultural, veterinary and fisheries colleges, and special institutes – 10 private universities, five institutions established under the State Legislature Act, and 13 “Institutions of National Importance,” mostly medical, statistical and technological institutes. Slightly more than half of post-secondary students enrol in private institutions.