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What Is The Ratio Of OBC, SC, ST Students In Indian Colleges? | Explained
What Is The Ratio Of OBC, SC, ST Students In Indian Colleges? | Explained
Anger is mounting across the country over the University Grants Commission's (UGC) newly issued guidelines, with critics describing them as one-sided and alleging that they disproportionately target students and faculty from the General category. The debate has also revived questions around the actual social composition of universities and colleges, particularly the representation of different caste groups in higher education.
Official data on caste-wise enrolment in higher education comes from the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), the government's most comprehensive and authoritative dataset on the sector.
According to AISHE 2020–21, students from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) account for 35.8% of total enrolment in higher education institutions, followed by Scheduled Castes (SCs) at 14.2% and Scheduled Tribes (STs) at 5.8%. Students categorised as General and Others constitute 44.2%. The General and Others category broadly includes upper castes, Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and some residual groups.
A recent study conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) indicates that the combined share of SC, ST and OBC students has now risen to 60.8% of total enrollments, while the share of the General category, including EWS, has declined to around 39%. This marks a significant shift, with reservation categories now forming the majority in India's higher education system.
Such data, however, was unavailable in the 1970s and 1980s, when there was no nationwide survey tracking caste-wise participation in higher education. During that period, OBC reservations had not yet been implemented, and access to universities and colleges was dominated by upper-caste students. The Mandal Commission recommendations, implemented in the early 1990s under the VP Singh government, introduced 27% reservation for OBCs in education and employment. The impact of these policies began to reflect in enrolment figures by the mid and late 1990s.
Estimates from that period suggest that General category students constituted between 50-65% of higher education enrolments, while OBC representation ranged from 15-30%, SC students from 10-18% and ST students from 5-10%. A sharper rise in SC, ST and OBC enrolments was observed after 2000, accelerating further after 2010.
At present, reservation norms in central government-funded institutions provide 27% seats for OBCs, 15% for SCs, 7.5% for STs and 10% for EWS candidates, though the actual composition varies across institutions. Elite institutions such as IITs and IIMs continue to have a relatively higher share of General category students. Nevertheless, officials point out that as SC, ST and OBC communities form a larger proportion of the population, their representation in higher education has expanded over time.
Parallel to this shift, reports of caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions have also risen. A UGC report released in January 2026 recorded a 118.4% increase in complaints related to caste discrimination under the SC/ST Act over the past five years. Between 2019 and 2024, the UGC received 1,160 such complaints from universities and colleges across the country. While around 90.68% of the cases were resolved, the number of pending complaints rose sharply from 18 in 2019 to 108 in 2024.
These figures were submitted by Equal Opportunity Cells and SC/ST Cells operating in 704 universities and 1,553 colleges nationwide. The Supreme Court has also expressed concern over student suicides in recent years, identifying caste-based discrimination as a major stress factor contributing to mental distress on campuses.
Institutions such as Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University have dedicated SC/ST/OBC grievance cells and appointed liaison officers to handle complaints. In cases where faculty members or staff are found guilty, disciplinary action may include suspension or denial of promotion. In recent years, principals of several Delhi University colleges have been investigated under the SC/ST Act, with police registering FIRs following court directions.
States such as Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have reported a higher number of FIRs linked to educational institutions, while Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have set up dedicated Discrimination Monitoring Cells within their higher education departments, reporting directly to the Chief Minister's Office.
Under the new UGC guidelines, institutions are now required to convene an Equity Committee meeting within 24 hours of receiving a complaint. The committee must conduct a preliminary inquiry and submit its report to the Vice-Chancellor or Principal within 15 working days. Based on the findings, the head of the institution is mandated to initiate action against the guilty party within the following seven days.
Source: News18
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