Understanding The Indian Education System

India today is the second largest higher education network in the world. Universities in India are set up by the Central or State Governments by means of legislation, while colleges are established by either the State Governments or private bodies / trusts. All colleges are affiliated to some university.


The different types of universities:

Central or State Universities:
While the former are funded directly by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the latter are set up and funded by the various state governments.


Deemed Universities:
Which enjoy the same academic status and privileges as a university. Examples are the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal; K L E Academy of Higher Education & Research University, etc.


Institutions of National Importance
University-level institutions that are established or designated by Acts of Parliament and funded by the Central Government. These include the Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, etc.


Most universities are 'affiliating universities', which prescribe to the affiliated colleges the admission criteria and courses of study, hold examinations and award degrees.


University departments impart postgraduate education and conduct and promote research in a variety of disciplines.


Undergraduate and, to some extent, postgraduate instruction is imparted by the colleges affiliated to a particular university.



Classification of Colleges

Colleges in India come under four different categories. This categorization is done on the basis of the kind of courses offered by them (professional/ vocational) / their ownership status( Private/ Government) or their relationship with the university (affiliated/university owned).

University Colleges
These colleges are managed by the university itself and situated mostly in the university campus.

Government Colleges
The government colleges are few, only about 15-20 percent of the total. They are managed by state governments. As in case of other colleges, the university to which these colleges are affiliated, conducts their examination, lays down the courses of studies and awards the degrees.

Professional Colleges
The professional colleges are mostly in the disciplines of medicine, engineering and management. There are few for other disciplines too. They are sponsored and managed either by the government or by private initiative.

Privately Managed colleges
About 70% of the colleges are founded by the privately owned trusts or societies. But these institutes are also governed by the rules and regulations of the university they are affiliated to. Though initially started up as a private initiative, the state government also funds these colleges