Arts Remains India's Most Popular Undergraduate Course Despite STEM Enrolment Crossing 1 Crore: AISHE 2023-24

Despite India's increasing emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, Arts continues to be the country's most preferred undergraduate stream, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2023-24.

The latest report shows that while combined enrolment in STEM disciplines has crossed the one-crore mark, the Bachelor of Arts (BA) remains India's most popular undergraduate degree, highlighting the continued importance of humanities in higher education.

Arts leads undergraduate enrolment

According to the AISHE 2023-24 report, Arts accounts for 32.1% of total undergraduate enrolment, making it the largest academic discipline in the country.

The report shows the following distribution across major streams:

• Arts: 32.1%
• Science: 13.5%
• Engineering & Technology: 12.9%
• Commerce: 12%

In absolute numbers, nearly 1.1 crore students are enrolled in Arts programmes—more than double the enrolment in Engineering and Technology.

The findings indicate that although technical education continues to expand, humanities remain the preferred choice for millions of Indian students.

BA continues to dominate

Among individual undergraduate programmes, the Bachelor of Arts (BA), including BA (Honours), remains the country's most popular degree.

The programme accounts for 38.6% of all undergraduate enrolments, with approximately 1.3 crore students pursuing BA degrees across India.

The next most popular programmes are:

The data suggests that traditional academic programmes continue to attract significantly higher enrolment than professional and technical courses.

STEM education continues to grow

While Arts remains dominant, the report also reflects steady growth in STEM education.

Science, Engineering and Technology together have now crossed one crore students, demonstrating the increasing demand for technical education in line with India's push to build a technology-driven workforce.

The growth indicates that student preferences are gradually diversifying without displacing the popularity of Arts programmes.

Women lead in Arts and Education

The AISHE report highlights notable gender differences across disciplines.

Women account for:

• 53.9% of undergraduate enrolment in Arts.
• 64.2% of students in Education programmes.

Engineering and Technology continue to remain heavily male-dominated, with women comprising only 31.1% of undergraduate enrolment.

The data reflects the continuing gender gap in technical education despite increasing participation by women.

Social Science and Management dominate postgraduate education

At the postgraduate level, Social Science emerged as the most popular discipline with 18.6% of enrolment.

It was followed by:

• Management – 18.2%
• Science – 15.1%
• Commerce – 7.8%

Among postgraduate degrees, the Master of Arts (MA) continues to dominate.

Most popular postgraduate programmes

• MA – 39.5% (around 22.6 lakh students)
• MSc – 17.4%
• MBA – 16.9%

BA produces the highest number of graduates

The graduation figures mirror the enrolment trends.

During the 2023-24 academic year:

• BA graduates: 24.4 lakh
• BSc graduates: 11.5 lakh
• BCom graduates: 9.6 lakh
• BE/BTech graduates: 8.2 lakh

This further reinforces the BA programme's position as India's largest contributor to higher education graduates.

What the AISHE report reveals

The latest AISHE findings underline a significant trend in Indian higher education.

While government policies continue to promote STEM education to support innovation and industrial growth, traditional academic disciplines continue to attract the largest share of students.

The report suggests India's higher education ecosystem is becoming more diversified, with STEM expanding rapidly while Arts continues to retain its long-standing popularity among undergraduate students.

Key Highlights

• Arts remains India's largest undergraduate stream with 32.1% enrolment.
• BA continues to be the country's most popular undergraduate degree.
• STEM enrolment has crossed one crore students.
• Nearly 1.1 crore students are enrolled in Arts programmes.
• Women constitute 53.9% of Arts students.
• Engineering remains the most male-dominated undergraduate discipline.
• BA produced the highest number of graduates during 2023-24.

Featured Snippet

According to the AISHE 2023-24 report, Arts remains India's most popular undergraduate discipline, accounting for 32.1% of total enrolment. Although STEM courses have collectively crossed one crore students, the Bachelor of Arts (BA) continues to be the country's most preferred undergraduate degree.

Conclusion

India's higher education landscape reflects a balance between tradition and transformation. While STEM education continues to expand rapidly in response to the demands of a technology-driven economy, Arts remains the foundation of undergraduate education, attracting the largest number of students and producing the highest number of graduates. The AISHE 2023-24 report suggests that both streams will continue to play vital roles in shaping India's future workforce.

FAQs

1. What does the AISHE 2023-24 report say about undergraduate enrolment?

The report states that Arts remains the largest undergraduate stream in India, accounting for 32.1% of total enrolment.

2. Which is the most popular undergraduate degree in India?

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) remains the most popular undergraduate degree, representing 38.6% of all undergraduate enrolments.

3. Has STEM enrolment increased?

Yes. Combined enrolment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines has crossed one crore students.

4. Which stream has the highest number of students?

Arts has the highest enrolment, with nearly 1.1 crore students.

5. Which undergraduate programmes follow BA in popularity?

BSc, BTech/BE and BCom are the next most popular undergraduate programmes after BA.

6. Which discipline has the highest female participation?

Education has the highest female enrolment at 64.2%, followed by Arts with 53.9%.

7. Which field remains male-dominated?

Engineering and Technology remains the most male-dominated undergraduate discipline, with women accounting for 31.1% of enrolment.

8. Which postgraduate degree is the most popular?

The Master of Arts (MA) remains India's most popular postgraduate degree, accounting for 39.5% of postgraduate enrolment.