Chandigarh has further established its own benchmark for higher education and is performing way above national averages and for 2035 with an imaginative approach, robust infrastructure and a culture of inclusion. A recent review presented by UT Education Secretary Prerna Puri to Chief Secretary H Rajesh Kumar has commended the progress being made, which they believe is commendable and in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 through a multidisciplinary tech-driven learning ecosystem. With a GER of 64.8% (twice the national average) and gender parity index (GPI) of 1.33, the city has majority-women students going to college and higher education for all is within reach.
Academic Excellence and National Rankings
The city now has nine government and seven government-aided colleges that cater to over 46,600 students. Institutions such as Government Home Science College (Rank 35) and GGDSD College (Rank 70) have managed to place several others in the top-200 list of India’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025. The city has also become home to 21 PhD (Panjab University approved) centres, in which scholars have been conducting research on a wide range of areas including life sciences, management and performing arts. Universities are helping UN Sustainable Development Goals by promoting gender equity, clean energy and inclusion.
Implementation of NEP 2020 and Digital Transformation
Chandigarh is one of the few places to have made NEP 2020 official in its entirety at all affiliated colleges. For that itself, there are mechanisms like FYUP (Four-Year Undergraduate Programmes), Academic Bank of Credits, and SWAYAM-integrated credit-based internships. Digitalisation is pervasive — from paperless admission to a mobile e-Campus app — which reflects the ethos of the Digital India Mission.
Infrastructure, Funding, and Future Plans
Over the last few years, the city has quickly developed its own education infrastructure with ₹80 crore recently sanctioned to build hostels, labs, auditoriums and research facilities. The education budget for 2025-26 is ₹307.98 crore, of this more than 43% has already been spent. Autonomous status is proposed for some colleges under UGC 2023 regulations, while the forthcoming Education City at Sarangpur would be a focus for research and innovation.
Challenges and Road Ahead
And even as Chandigarh has performed well, it lags behind in various quarters with 266 posts lying vacant of faculty positions, cases being pending on regularisation of the contractual faculty members, and inordinate delay being observed in projects clearance. A high-power committee is working towards resolving these issues while pursuing SDG reforms, parity and excellence in academics.
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria said: “The story of higher education in Chandigarh is not about increasing Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) over the years but it’s about transformation. The city is reinventing Indian education through creativity, inclusiveness and constant reform.”
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