India's College Search Trends

What are the 4.33 Crore Indian college students searching for? Being one of the largest digitalised countries in the world, a shift towards career-oriented education in India’s college search trends is but normal. As CollegeDekho’s HEART Report 2023-24 rightly points out, career-focused higher education has shaped the landscape in the years to come. However, Humanities/Arts continues to dominate when it comes to overall enrollments and searches in the country. But, how does the Indian college youth search? Here are the major trends to watch.

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India’s Top-Searched Streams

A notable trend among the youth highlights a preference for ‘Education’ followed by Science and Engineering. That said, the scenario completely shifts when considering digitally enabled enrollments, where Engineering manifests as the top choice, and Science and Management feature on the second and third spots respectively.

Arts turns out to be the leader in overall enrollment in India with more than 31% enrollments over a three-year period. In subsequent positions are Management, Engineering, and Information Technology (IT).

India’s Top-Searched Universities & Colleges

Open and government universities seem to be in ongoing popularity, with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) leading the list among around 54,000 colleges and universities in the country. Following closely is Vardhman Mahaveer Open University (VMOU) in Kota, Rajasthan; AKTU and the University of Rajasthan.

When it comes to colleges, IIT Bombay is the most searched while a surprising second is Andhra University, Visakhapatnam. Following them are AIIMS Delhi, BITS Pilani, and IIT Delhi.

Digital enrollment, a key factor in recent admission trends in India, puts forth the five most popular private Indian universities. Sandip University, LPU, Parul University, etc. have time and again remained popular due to not just accessibility but also excellence.

India’s Top-Searched Degrees & Specialisations

Similar to top-searched streams, universities and colleges, the picture of preferred degrees is no different. Searches on online platforms indicate that Bachelor of Education (B.Ed), Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) and Master of Arts (M.A.) are the most sought-after degrees. However, overall enrolments point out an inclination towards B.A., B.Sc. and B.Com. Digitally enabled enrolments, on the other hand, are dominated by career-focused programmes like B.Tech, M.B.A and B.Sc.

Specialisations based on digitally enabled enrolment, as expected, are led by Computer science while Nursing comes right after, followed by Finance, Civil Engineering, Computer Applications and so on.

How Does India’s College Youth Search vs Behave?

Being one of the countries with the youngest netizens, online is how the Indian youth searches for ‘best’ colleges, universities, courses and streams. However, there is a stark contrast between search trends and enrollments for each of these categories. If we were to rely on the highest searched stream in India, ‘Education’ would win the battle. However, the picture changes when we take a look at enrolments. For students with both digital access and admissions guidance, streams like management and Engineering become top choices. Future job prospects, unlike when expert counselling was not readily available, have become a rather crucial criterion when it comes to higher education in India. These search trends underscore that college students in India are strikingly in tune with the world at large.

Lastly, there stands a question — does expert guidance and enhanced internet accessibility steer students towards career-oriented courses and fields over traditional options?

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