The Marketization of Tertiary Education in India: An Empirical Assessment of Enrolment Shifts and Infrastructure Disparities across Institutional Governance Types Based on AISHE 2023–24 Data
Acceptance: 04/09/2026
Published: 11/10/2026
Abstract
In recent decades, tertiary schooling across India has evolved from a state-subsidized public framework into a competitive, market-driven ecosystem. This paper investigates the empirical impacts of this transition, examining spatial student distributions and physical asset disparities across distinct institutional governance categories. Drawing on state-level macro indicators from the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2023–24 dataset—covering 44,899 colleges alongside more than 1,200 universities—we map student concentration and infrastructure allocations across public, state-assisted private, and fully independent self-financed entities. Our descriptive evaluations reveal substantial market penetration: independent private colleges currently represent 70.6% of tertiary campuses and absorb 52.6% of aggregate student enrolments, while government-run campuses capture a modest 27.3%. Inferential testing using One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) demonstrates severe infrastructure imbalances, with non-government institutions offering markedly lower per-student residential and hostel accommodation. Furthermore, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models indicate that elevated state-level reliance on private enrolments corresponds to reduced participation rates among disadvantaged social categories (SC, ST, OBC, and EWS). We conclude that although privatization expands physical access points and overall college density, it simultaneously intensifies social exclusion and resource inequality, underscoring the necessity for robust regulatory oversight under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 framework.
Keynote: Educational Privatization, Institutional Governance, AISHE Macro-Data, Facility Disparities, Social Inclusion, Public Policy, India
Author Name:
Nandini Patel ; Dr. R.N. Sharma
Pages:
353-361
DOI Number:
10.5281/zenodo.23287946
Country:
India
Orcid:
Full Article
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Writer Name
Nandini Patel ; Dr. R.N. Sharma
Pages
353-361
DOI Numbers
10.5281/zenodo.23287946
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