Women continued to outpace men in higher education enrolment for the seventh straight year in 2023-24, while also outnumbering men in science, one of the four STEM disciplines, as total enrolment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses crossed one crore, according to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE).
The Gender Parity Index (GPI), which compares the enrolment of women and men in higher education relative to their eligible population, stood at 1.08 in 2023-24. A GPI above 1 indicates that women are enrolling in higher education at higher rates than men.
The GPI has remained above 1 since 2017-18. The AISHE report noted that "the GPI has crossed 1 since 2017-18, i.e., female GER has surpassed male GER since 2017-18 and it continues."
The female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), which measures the proportion of people aged 18 to 23 enrolled in higher education, stood at 31.2 per cent in 2023-24, compared with 28.9 per cent for men.
The trend is also reflected in overall enrolment. Female enrolment rose to 2.2 crore in 2023-24, marking an increase of 42.2 per cent since 2014-15, outpacing the growth in male enrolment over the same period.
Among historically marginalised communities, the GPI stood at 1.11 for Scheduled Caste (SC) students and 1.08 for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, indicating that SC and ST women are enrolling in higher education at higher rates than their male counterparts.
STEM Enrolment Crosses One Crore
The survey recorded a total STEM enrolment of 1,01,88,988 students in 2023-24, including 57,06,160 men and 44,82,828 women.
Science accounted for the largest share of STEM enrolment, with 55,55,120 students across undergraduate, postgraduate, integrated and PhD programmes. Women made up 54.6 per cent of students in the discipline, meaning they outnumbered men in science. At the postgraduate level, the share of women rose further to 61.4 per cent.
Engineering and Technology enrolled 46,33,868 students. However, women accounted for only 31.1 per cent of undergraduate enrolment, highlighting the continuing gender gap in the discipline.
Computer Engineering Most Popular
Computer Engineering remained the most preferred engineering discipline, with more than 18.4 lakh students enrolled. It was followed by Electronics Engineering with 5.7 lakh students, Mechanical Engineering with 4.4 lakh, and Civil Engineering with 3.6 lakh.
The survey also highlighted the growing popularity of emerging disciplines. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning recorded an enrolment of 53,600 students, while Artificial Intelligence and Data Science had 51,600 students. Both disciplines were tracked as standalone sub-streams in the survey for the first time.
Science Tops PhD Enrolment
Science also attracted the largest share of doctoral scholars. Of the country's 3,43,559 PhD students, 23.4 per cent were enrolled in science, followed by Engineering and Technology at 20.5 per cent and Social Science at 11.1 per cent.
The report also noted that India now has 18 women-only universities, up from 11 in 2014-15, reflecting the expansion of dedicated higher education institutions for women.
Education Ministry officials said the sustained GPI above 1 reflects the impact of scholarship schemes, safety initiatives and awareness campaigns aimed at improving girls' access to higher education. Experts, however, cautioned that while the GER reflects access to higher education, it does not capture completion rates, employment outcomes or representation in leadership positions, where gender disparities persist.