Edtech In 2026: As India moves toward 2026, the country's education and edtech landscape is undergoing a decisive shift. The year 2025 has witnessed significant changes in how students learn, how coaching institutes operate, and how technology is shaping the sector's next phase of growth.
A substantial number of students are opting for online classes over physical classrooms, largely to save time spent on daily commute or relocating to education hubs. For many, digital learning offers the flexibility to study from anywhere with an internet connection, interact with teachers in real time, take mock tests, and enrol with coaching institutes that suit their budget.
With coaching fees varying widely across the country, online platforms now allow learners, from villages to metro cities, to choose classes based on affordability and convenience. Students in cities also avoid the two to three hours usually lost in commuting to coaching centres.
From NEET and IIT-JEE to banking, SSC, state public service commissions, UPSC and postgraduate programmes such as MBA and MCA, students can now register for courses with a single click, making competitive exam preparation far more accessible.
Veranda Learning CEO Suresh Kalpathi said the coming year would accelerate a shift toward hybrid learning. "Learners will no longer see the internet and physical classrooms as separate spaces. They will expect seamless movement between digital modules, community learning and personalised mentorship," he said. According to him, artificial intelligence will take on a much bigger role through personalised learning engines that track performance, predict learning pathways, automate feedback and offer real-time academic support and career guidance.
Kalpathi added that structured and flexible learning paths will help students reduce exam anxiety and build confidence, regardless of whether they are preparing for competitive tests or professional upskilling. Skill-focused learning is set to grow, with businesses looking for employees who are ready for work from day one. Project-based modules, simulation-driven assessments and industry-aligned credentials are expected to see wider adoption.
With deeper digital penetration across India, the next wave of growth is likely to come from tier-2 and tier-3 towns, where students will increasingly access high-quality and culturally relevant learning resources. "Taken together, 2026 looks to bring a strong reset-one where technology does not displace but strengthens the human side of learning," he said.
Offering another perspective, GyanDhan Co-Founder and CEO Ankit Mehra said the sector is heading toward a more stable and disciplined revival. The collapse of Byju's and the challenges faced by several heavily funded unicorns, he said, have forced a rethink around governance, sustainability and unchecked expansion. Paradoxically, he noted, this correction could be the most positive development the industry has seen in years.
Mehra pointed to PhysicsWallah's successful IPO as a defining moment, giving the edtech industry its first credible benchmark. By 2026, he expects a more grounded line-up of public listings, including SME IPOs from niche and execution-focused firms.
He said demand is shifting strongly toward career-linked learning and global mobility. Pathways inspired by Germany's Ausbildung model, healthcare apprenticeships and other work-integrated international opportunities are gaining traction among Indian students. Platforms that can combine language training, certification, employability tools and migration support may emerge as major winners.
Mehra added that the entry of foreign universities under new UGC norms will reshape higher education, with many expected to collaborate with Indian edtech firms to offer online degrees, stackable micro-credentials and global credit transfer routes. This will make international education more accessible than ever.
"If 2019 to 2021 was the era of exuberance, then 2026 may mark the moment when Indian edtech truly matures-more pragmatic, more outcome-based and better aligned with what learners value," he said.
