Arts continued to be the most popular choice among undergraduate students in India in 2023-24, accounting for nearly one-third of all enrolments despite the policy focus on science, technology, and skill-based education, according to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE).
The survey found that Arts accounted for 32.1 per cent of undergraduate enrolment, followed by Science at 13.5 per cent, Engineering and Technology at 12.9 per cent, and Commerce at 12.0 per cent. In absolute terms, around 1.1 crore students were enrolled in Arts courses, more than twice the number enrolled in Engineering and Technology.
Among individual degree programmes, the Bachelor of Arts (BA), including BA (Honours), remained the most popular undergraduate course, accounting for 38.6 per cent of all undergraduate students, or around 1.3 crore enrolments. It was followed by the Bachelor of Science (BSc) at 15.7 per cent, the Bachelor of Technology/Bachelor of Engineering (BTech/BE) at 12.7 per cent, and the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) at 12.0 per cent.
Women accounted for 53.9 per cent of students enrolled in Arts courses. Education recorded an even higher female share, at 64.2 per cent, while Engineering and Technology remained the most male-dominated discipline, with women accounting for 31.1 per cent of undergraduate enrolment.
At the postgraduate level, Social Science emerged as the most popular discipline, accounting for 18.6 per cent of enrolment, followed closely by Management at 18.2 per cent. Science accounted for 15.1 per cent of postgraduate enrolment, while Commerce accounted for 7.8 per cent.
The Master of Arts (MA) remained the most popular postgraduate degree, accounting for 39.5 per cent of all postgraduate students, or around 22.6 lakh enrolments. It was followed by the Master of Science (MSc) at 17.4 per cent and the Master of Business Administration (MBA) at 16.9 per cent.
The survey's graduation data reflected similar trends. The Bachelor of Arts produced the highest number of graduates in 2023-24, at 24.4 lakh, followed by the Bachelor of Science (11.5 lakh), the Bachelor of Commerce (9.6 lakh), and the Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Technology (8.2 lakh).
