Women Make Up 45% of Higher Education Teachers, Reports SBI

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Wednesday, 30 September 2026

India’s higher education sector has recorded significant growth over the past decade, with an increase in the number of institutions, student enrolment and participation of women and disadvantaged communities, according to a report released by SBI Research on September 29.

The report said the number of universities increased to 1,289 in FY24 from 723 in FY14, while the number of colleges rose to 48,246 from 36,634 during the same period. Standalone higher education institutions also increased from 11,664 to 15,221.

Student enrolment crossed 4.5 crore in FY24, with male and female students accounting for nearly equal shares. Students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) together represented around 62 percent of total enrolment.

Key Highlights:

• India’s higher education sector saw strong growth in institutions and student enrolment
• Women now account for 45% of higher education teachers
• SBI Research called for higher education spending and greater investment in research

Female participation in higher education has also grown across several disciplines. Women outnumbered men among undergraduate students in science, while female representation among PhD students was nearly equal to that of men.

Apart from that, the report highlighted that the number of teachers rose to 17.3 lakh in FY24 from 13.7 lakh in FY14, with women accounting for 45 per cent of teachers. But about one-third of the sanctioned posts in centrally funded institutes and universities are still unfilled, it said, adding that the number of vacancies in particular is high at the professor level.

Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) grew to 76 from 59 in FY26. The placements from IIMs grew to approximately 13700 from 7500 in FY24 and IITs grew to approximately 17500 from 9500 in FY16.

The report also revealed that the median salary at the IIMs has more than doubled between FY16 and FY24 and the median salary at the IIMs in FY24 is over Rs 40 lakh. SBI Research, however, pointed out that the education budget needs to be increased, and that the share of the higher education sector in the total government spending had stayed at approximately 1 per cent in recent years.

It also emphasized the need for enhanced investment in research, more linkages with industry and increased vocational training. The report recommended that the National Testing Agency should be established as a statutory body, and recommended that a constitutional amendment be considered to institute a right to free and fair educational opportunity. It also demanded the improvement of the examination systems and equalization of student-teacher ratio across the regions.