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Poorer Indians Shut Out of Top Degrees
18 Mar
Summary
- Professional degrees are increasingly costly for poorer Indian families.
- Wealthier students dominate engineering and medicine courses.
- Rising costs limit opportunities for low-income students.
The State of Working India 2026 report highlights a growing disparity in access to higher education in India, particularly for professional degrees. While the overall availability of higher education has expanded, the cost of professional courses such as engineering and medicine has escalated, pushing them beyond the reach of many poorer households. Government institutions offer lower fees, but their limited seats necessitate enrollment in more expensive private colleges.
This financial barrier means students from wealthier families are significantly more likely to pursue degrees with higher earning potential. Conversely, students from poorer backgrounds are often enrolled in commerce or humanities, which typically offer lower returns. Despite an increase in students from lower-income groups entering higher education, the gap in course choice remains substantial, reinforcing existing economic divides.
Additional costs, including coaching, exams, travel, and accommodation, further burden families, making professional degrees almost impossible for the poorest to afford. This creates a double disadvantage: difficulty in accessing higher education and an even greater hurdle in pursuing high-cost, high-return professional courses. Such unequal access to degrees that are pathways to better jobs and economic security perpetuates intergenerational inequality.
