IIT Delhi – A Leading Institution of Higher Learning

• September 17, 2021
• By Editor
• Research Articles

India’s Higher Education sector has witnessed a tremendous increase in the number of Universities/University level Institutions & Colleges since independence. India’s higher education system is the world’s third-largest in terms of students, next to China and the United States. India’s higher education sector and the educational institutions in India have supplied some of the world’s best talent. India has been the centre of learning since ancient times. There were many notable higher education institutions in India, such as Nalanda, Taxila, Vikramshila, where scholars from all over Asia and Europe used to come for higher education. India has one of the largest networks of higher education institutions in the world. The Department of Higher Education, MoE, is responsible for the overall development of the basic infrastructure of India’s higher education system, both in terms of policy and planning. According to AISHE-2019-20, in terms of the institution of higher learning, there are 1043 universities, 42343 colleges and 11779 diploma level educational institutions in India. The number of universities has increased by 30.5% during 2015-16 to 2019-20, and the number of colleges has also increased from 39071 in 2015-16 to 42343 in 2019-20, by about 8.4%. Total Enrolment in the Indian higher education system stands at 3.85 crores in 2019-20. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education, which is calculated for the 18-23 years of age group, is 27.1% in 2019-20, with a rise from 24.5% in 2015-16.

India has a strong focus on science and technology with vast research and development infrastructure. It is the third-largest scientific and technical manpower pool globally with many world-class, internationally ranked universities awarding over 40000 doctorates annually. India has emerged as the world’s third-largest publisher of science and engineering articles, with about 1,35,788 scientific papers published. As per the Employability rankings 2020, India is the 15th most employable country in the world.

Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are among the most prestigious institutions in the country for science and engineering education and research. IITs are declared as Institutes of National Importance through the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 and subsequent amendments. IITs have excellent infrastructural facilities and perform research at the highest levels. The Indian institutes of technology offer an inspiring learning environment with student-centric learning, and their faculty are among the best in the world in their areas of interest.

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) is one of the Twenty Three IITs created to be Centres of Excellence for higher education, research and training in various programmes of science, engineering and technology in India. IIT Delhi is ranked 3rd overall and 2nd in the Engineering category in the National Institutional Rankings Framework (NIRF) for 2020 and 193rd in the QS World University Rankings for 2021. In the Asian region, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi is ranked 43 by QS and ranked 47 by Timer Higher Education. IIT Delhi was designated by the Ministry of Education to serve as the National Coordinator in its two flagship programmes, the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) programme and the ASEAN-PhD Programme. IIT Delhi is the most employable institute in India, which has attained the 27th rank worldwide. Since its inception, more than 50000 have graduated with PhD, MTech, MS and BTech degrees from IIT Delhi in various disciplines, including Engineering, Physical Sciences, Management and Humanities & Social Sciences. These alumni today work as scientists, technologists, business managers, administrators, politicians and entrepreneurs.  

Recognised worldwide as a leader in the field of engineering education and research, nearly 6000 students received PhD degrees from IIT Delhi over the last five decades. Enrolment for PhD programme and PhD awarded in India and at IIT Delhi for the last five years are shown in the bar diagram.

IIT Delhi is focused on enhancing the quality of its academic and research output. It has created a pool of high-end central research facilities with open access to its entire research community and world-class experimental facilities. To enhance research in higher learning technologies and enrich its educational programmes, IIT Delhi has also built links with peer universities and institutes, both at the national and international levels.