Date/Time
Date(s) - 10/06/2025 - 11/06/2025
12:00 am
Location
Seminar Hall
Categories
A Two-day National Seminar
on
Understanding Students Migration patterns and their Impact on Higher Education in India
At IIAS, Shimla
Dates: June, 10th and 11th 2025
Education has long been recognized as a key driver of social mobility, enabling individuals to improve their socioeconomic standing. In India, the pursuit of higher education has witnessed an unprecedented surge, with students from diverse backgrounds aspiring to gain access to quality institutions that equip them with the necessary skills to thrive in an increasingly competitive world. The demand for higher education institutions (HEIs) in India is immense. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-22, the total enrolment in Indian higher education stands at a staggering 4.33 crore (43.3 million) students. To put this into perspective, this figure exceeds the combined student enrolment in all G7 countries, which collectively have fewer than 3.8 crore (38 million) students. In other words, India alone accommodates a higher education population that surpasses the total student strength of the world’s most advanced economies—including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan—combined.
This massive enrolment underscores the urgent need for a robust and expansive network of higher education institutions to accommodate the growing demand. However, the supply side presents a stark contrast. According to the AISHE 2021-22 report, India has 1,043 universities, 42,343 colleges, and 11,779 stand-alone institutions catering to this vast student population. Clearly, there exists a significant mismatch between demand and supply. Moreover, within this limited number of institutions, only a handful are widely recognized for their academic excellence, research output, and infrastructural quality. This uneven distribution further skews access to quality education, disproportionately benefiting students from metropolitan and well- established educational hubs while leaving those from peripheral regions with fewer choices.
The consequences of this imbalance are far-reaching, significantly shaping student mobility and educational migration patterns across the country. The demand for higher education is not confined to a few urban centers; a substantial number of students seeking admission to HEIs hail from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. However, since premier institutions remain concentrated in select urban hubs, large-scale migration of students has become a defining feature of India’s higher education landscape. Nevertheless, with the gradual expansion of educational institutions beyond traditional metropolitan clusters, the future trajectory of student migration remains an evolving phenomenon worthy of deeper analysis.
The phenomenon of student migration is influenced by a complex interplay of “push” and “pull” factors. While economic opportunities, institutional reputation, and employment prospects act as pull factors, attracting students to certain institutions, inadequate educational infrastructure, limited course offerings, and socio-political conditions often serve as push factors, compelling students to leave their home regions. However, beyond these well- documented influences, there exist several ‘the unseen” dimensions of educational migration that merit critical attention. The visible and invisible consequences of this movement may include:
• Economic ramifications, such as the redistribution of financial resources across regions.
• Regional disparities in skill distribution, leading to talent concentration in select states.
• Infrastructural strain on host cities, resulting in rising costs of living and urban congestion.
• Shifting social and cultural dynamics, as students from diverse backgrounds interact in new environments.
Understanding these factors requires an interdisciplinary approach that combines perspectives from education studies, economics, sociology, and urban planning.
In this context, the proposed seminar aims to engage with these pressing issues by bringing together scholars, policymakers, and educationists to deliberate on the causes, patterns, and broader implications of student migration within India’s higher education system. It seeks to move beyond conventional analyses, encouraging discussions that explore new theoretical frameworks, empirical insights, and policy-oriented solutions to address the challenges posed by student mobility. By promoting an interdisciplinary dialogue, this seminar will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how student migration is shaping India’s evolving higher education ecosystem.
Subthemes of the Conference:
• Student Mobility and Academic Migration in Higher Education: Trend and Determinants
• Regional Variations in Student Migration Patterns
• Economic and Social Implications of Student Migration
• Cultural and Psychological Aspects of Student Migration
• Policy-Induced Migration vs. Policies to Regulate Student Mobility
• Economic Modelling of Student Migration: Theoretical Frameworks
• Econometric and Quantitative Models for Analyzing Student Migration
• The Impact of Migration on Higher Education Access and Success
• The Socio-Economic Impact of Migration on Higher Education in India
• The Role of Media in Shaping Educational Migration Decisions
Call for Papers
A limited number of participants will be invited for the Seminar. Those interested in participating should send (preferably by email) an abstract (500 words) of the proposed paper in English only along with their C.V. (One page) directly to Dr. Anish Gupta, Email: pioneer.article@gmail.com, Mobile: 8383065092 and copy to the Academic Resource Officer, Indian institute of Advanced Study, Shimla on his Email seminar@iias.ac.in Tel: 0177-2831385.
The last date for submission of abstract (500 words) is till 12th May 2025 05:00 PM. The Institute intends to send Invitation letters to selected participants by the 15th May, 2025. It is the policy of the Institute to publish the papers not proceedings of the seminars it organizes. Hence, all invited participants will be expected to submit complete papers (in English/Hindi only), hitherto unpublished and original, with citations in place, along with a reference section, to the Convener and copy to the Academic Resource Officer, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla– 171005 by 05th June, 2025. The IIAS, Shimla will be glad to extend its hospitality (free hospitality is provided only to the Seminar participant) during the seminar period and is willing to reimburse, if required, rail or air travel expenses from the place of current residence in India, or the port of arrival in India, and back. Note: Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and the Institute reserves the right to cancel the selection/participation of a candidate found guilty at any stage.
*****