Problem

Higher education reaches fewer than a third of young people, and enrolment growth has sharply decelerated

• National
• State

The Gross Enrolment Ratio for ages 18 to 23 crossed 30% for the first time in 2023-24, rising from 23.7% in 2014-15 and 29.5% in 2022-23. NEP 2020 targets 50% by 2035. Independent analysis of the AISHE series flags that annual enrolment growth fell to under 1% in 2023-24 after a decade of steady 3 to 4% growth — a deceleration that matters more for the 2035 target than the level itself. Evidence confidence: High for the GER series, which is the authoritative primary source; the deceleration is drawn from independent analysis of that same data. No source reviewed models the growth rate required to reach 50%, so do not state whether the target is on track.