Enrolment to higher education institutes: Tamil Nadu, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Kerala emerge top ‘achievers’

Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Kerala have emerged as top-performing "achievers" States in gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education institutions in 2021-22, according to a report released by NITI Aayog on Monday (February 10, 2025) .

The report — 'Expanding Quality Higher Education through States and State Public Universities'  further said Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Jharkhand, and Bihar were the worst-performing States in GER in higher education institutions and have been listed under "aspirational" category.

According to the report, Kerala, Himachal, and Arunachal Pradesh were top-performing States with respect to dedadal growth in GER (2011-12 versus 2021-22).

The report, released by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery has listed Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Karnataka under the "front-runners" category.

As per report, pupil-teacher ratio was the lowest in universities in Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Karnataka and highest in universities in Jharkhand and Bihar.

It also said Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal have emerged as top performing states with regards to decadal improvement in PTR (2011-12 versus 2021-22).

As per the report, Bihar spends 1.56% GSDP on higher education, followed by Manipur (1.56 per cent) and Meghalaya (1.33 per cent).

Karnataka leads with a college density of 66, which is more than twice the national average, followed by Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Kerala.

The States with the least college densities are Manipur, Bihar, and Jharkhand.