Rising enrolments, visa restrictions abroad, and government support fuel growth amid sector challenges.

India’s higher education industry is expected to witness a revenue increase of 9–11% in FY2026, mirroring the growth pace recorded in FY2025, according to a recent report released by rating agency ICRA. The growth is being driven by factors such as an increase in seat capacity, expanding enrolments, the rollout of new academic programs, and the rising adoption of online tutoring to support student outcomes.

The report highlights that tightening of student visa rules in countries like the US, UK, and Canada could lead to a rise in domestic enrolments, as more students opt for Indian institutions instead of pursuing education abroad. Additionally, the credit profiles of Indian colleges and universities—particularly those offering medical courses—have shown steady improvement.

With an estimated 15–20% of India’s population in the 15–24 age bracket and increasing literacy levels, demand for higher education is projected to surge in the coming years. While rising tuition fees remain a concern, improved access to education loans through banks and NBFCs is helping bridge affordability gaps for many aspiring students.

Over the past decade, government support has played a crucial role in shaping the sector. Public spending on higher education has more than doubled, and the total number of universities has risen from 642 in 2011 to nearly 1,189 in 2025, supporting institutional revenue growth and expanded educational reach.

Private colleges have also reported healthy admission trends, supported by annual fee hikes of 6–8%. Between FY2020 and FY2024, this contributed to a 15% CAGR in revenue across the sector.

Suprio Banerjee, Vice President at ICRA, noted:

“India’s higher education sector is on a growth trajectory, backed by rising demand, higher disposable incomes, easier access to financing, and proactive government and private sector involvement—particularly in medical and engineering education.”

However, challenges remain. The sector continues to deal with infrastructure gaps, faculty shortages, affordability concerns, fragmented operations, and strict regulatory controls, which impact both quality and scalability.

India’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education has improved from 21% in 2012 to around 28% in 2022. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has set an ambitious target of 50% GER by 2035, indicating vast untapped potential and long-term opportunities for stakeholders in the education ecosystem.

Multiple programs earn high placements in U.S. News & World Report’s latest grad school rankings

The University of California, Riverside has made notable progress in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings for graduate programs in the United States, with its schools of business, education, and engineering earning higher placements this year.

The School of Business saw a remarkable leap, moving up 17 spots to rank No. 56 in the country for its part-time MBA program. Its full-time MBA program also improved slightly, now tied for No. 88 among Best Business Schools. The school’s rise in rankings continues a positive trend from the previous year, when it jumped 20 spots. A major contributor to its success is a newly opened academic facility, along with impressive outcomes for graduates, including a 60% employment rate within three months of graduation and an average annual salary plus bonuses of $87,276.

Our improved ranking reflects our continued investments in a strong MBA program,” said Yunzeng Wang, dean of the School of Business. “We just opened a state-of-the-art facility, and our MBA graduates go on to get great jobs with good salaries. We expect our ranking will continue to improve as word gets out about the quality of our programs.

The Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE) was ranked No. 89 overall, with five of its individual graduate programs making gains. Notably, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, and materials science and engineering all placed among the top 70 programs nationwide.

Christopher S. Lynch, dean of BCOE, highlighted the impact of these rankings: “The graduate programs in our college are key to advancing our students' professional and scholarly goals. These rankings demonstrate our effectiveness in preparing master's and doctoral students for distinguished careers in academia, research, and leadership roles.”

Among the standout improvements, environmental engineering rose to No. 54, a three-position gain. Computer engineering and computer science climbed to No. 53 and No. 54, respectively. Electrical engineering moved up two positions to No. 63, while materials science and engineering advanced one spot to No. 70. The School of Education at UC Riverside also showed solid performance, ranking No. 90 overall out of 258 schools that offer doctoral-level education programs.

The rankings, released on April 8, 2025, by U.S. News & World Report, are based on a variety of factors. These include reputational surveys distributed to academic leaders and industry professionals, as well as data on student outcomes after graduation.

U.S. News is widely considered a leading authority on college and graduate school rankings, with its undergraduate rankings released annually in the fall. In its most recent undergraduate list, UCR earned the top national spot for social mobility, a measure of how effectively universities improve the economic standing of their students.

Online Tutoring Rises in Relevance

As graduate schools like UC Riverside gain global attention for their academic excellence, students aiming to apply are seeking better preparation strategies. This growing interest is driving demand for online tutoring, particularly in areas like exam help, academic writing, and subject-specific coaching. With more students turning to digital platforms for test prep and admissions support, online tutoring is becoming a vital.

With the successful landing of the Lander Module of ISRO’s third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3, India has reached the Moon! It has also became the first country to land near the Moon’s south pole.

The Lander Module (LM) of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3, launched on July 14, made a successfully landing on the Moon’s surface on August 23, making India only the fourth country after the erstwhile USSR, the U.S. and China to make a soft landing on the lunar surface. Congratulating the team of scientists at ISRO, PM Modi said, “India’s successful moon mission is not India’s alone...Our approach of one earth, one family one future is resonating across the globe...Moon mission is based on the same human centric approach. So, this success belongs to all of humanity.”

Precisely at 6.03 p.m. the lander touched the lunar surface and there was euphoric celebrations at the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru. Following this, the Lander successfully deployed the Rover which will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility. The Lander and the Rover with a mission life of one Lunar day (14 Earth days) have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface.

Singapore-headquartered BOC Aviation Limited and India's largest airline IndiGo have entered into a finance lease transaction involving 10 Airbus A320NEO aircraft to further expand its fleet, officials said on Wednesday.

All 10 aircraft powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines are scheduled for delivery in 2023, said BOC Aviatio

“We are delighted to be embarking on another transaction with our long-time customer IndiGo, to enable the airline to expand its fleet with the latest technology aircraft,” said Steven Townend, Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, BOC Aviation.

“This showcases our ability to deploy alternative financing structures, to continue our long-term sustainable growth,” he said.

“We are pleased to enhance our partnership with BOC Aviation with the lease agreement for these 10 aircraft,” said Riyaz Peer Mohamed, Chief Aircraft Acquisition and Financing Officer, IndiGo.

This extended collaboration with BOC Aviation is part of IndiGo's expansion strategy across domestic and international markets.

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India is currently among the fastest-growing civil aviation markets in the world and these aircraft will help IndiGo consolidate its position in the region,” he said.

BOC Aviation is a leading global aircraft operating leasing company with a fleet of 652 aircraft owned, managed and on order.

Its owned and managed fleet was leased to 91 airlines in 42 countries and regions worldwide as of June 30, 2023.

Meanwhile, InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (IndiGo) is amongst the fastest-growing low-cost carriers in the world.

With its fleet of over 300 aircraft, the airline is operating about 1,900 daily flights and connecting 79 domestic destinations and will soon further grow its footprint to 32 international destinations.

Banks in Britain may be free to award even bigger bonuses from January but new pay perks are unlikely to help the country's financial industry outshine its rivals because top bankers are wary of swapping handsome fixed salaries for uncertain rewards.

Scrapping the near decade-old cap on bonuses is a core plank of Britain's post-Brexit easing of rules the European Union adopted to stop excessive risk-taking after taxpayers had to bail out banks in the global financial crisis.

The outcome of a Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority consultation on the proposal to remove curbs on bonuses is due in coming weeks. It would apply to payouts earned over 2024, though bringing forward the start to cover bonuses for 2023 is an option.

Ministers and regulators hope this will attract more top-level bankers to Britain, and bolster London's appeal as an international capital hub as it competes with New York, Singapore, and EU financial centres such as Paris and Frankfurt.

Bankers, lawyers and remuneration consultants say, however, high-flyers may lose more than they stand to gain.

"Removing the cap isn't going to attract more top bankers to the UK because their pay will be more uncertain," Luke Hildyard, director at the High Pay Centre think tank, told Reuters.

According to the latest data from the European Banking Authority, more than 70% of EU-based bankers earning over 1 million euros and subject to the bonus cap, were based in Britain before it left the bloc in 2020.

A limit on bonuses of 100% of fixed pay - or 200% with shareholder approval - has encouraged some UK banks to supplement base salaries with bespoke and often undisclosed, role-based allowances, or RBAs, to make compensation more competitive globally.

This, regulators say, makes it harder for banks to cut costs and absorb losses in a downturn.

But many bankers are expected to resist swapping guaranteed pay for potentially higher bonuses, which can swing wildly across economic cycles.

"I very much doubt there'll be a dramatic shift back to the pre-financial crisis days of low base salaries and high bonuses," Suzanne Horne, head of the International Employment practice at Paul Hastings, told Reuters.

"We have a cost of living crisis, high inflation, industrial action by the public sector unseen since the 70s ... any announcement of sudden changes to a bank's bonus structure will likely prove controversial."

With Britain scrapping the bonus limit, the EU would become a global outlier. Countries, such as the United States, Singapore, Japan and Switzerland use other mechanisms to deter excessive risk-taking, which Britain will continue to apply.

These include ensuring only a portion of a bonus is paid upfront in cash, with the rest paid in bank shares that can only be cashed in over several years, making it easier to "claw back" awards in cases of misconduct.

TOXIC CONVERSATION
Bankers say that shining a spotlight on bonuses is never good for them, particularly at a time of stretched finances for millions of people. Some banks are already battling negative headlines for shuttering accounts and failing to pass more of higher interest rates to savers.

UK Finance, the industry body for banks in Britain, did not respond to the public consultation, leaving individual members to comment if they wanted to.

"You can't imagine a more politically toxic subject for conversation. This has never been a banking industry request and we don't want.

Hollywood studios and streaming services on Tuesday released the terms of a revised proposal to writers in a bid to end one of two strikes that have halted production and cost the California economy billions of dollars.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which negotiates on behalf of companies including Walt Disney (DIS.N) and Netflix (NFLX.O), changed its offer to include new details about critical issues like compensation, minimum staffing, residual payments and curbs on artificial intelligence.

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According to the latest proposal, the Writers' Guild of America (WGA) will get a compounded 13% pay increase over the three-year contract, and AI-generated written content will not be considered "literary material".

The streaming platforms also offered to provide the WGA with the total number of hours viewed for each made-for-streaming show in confidential quarterly reports.

"We have come to the table with an offer that meets the priority concerns the writers have expressed. We are deeply committed to ending the strike and are hopeful that the WGA will work toward the same resolution," AMPTP President Carol Lombardini said in a statement.

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A WGA spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The WGA, which represents around 11,500 film and television writers, walked off the job on May 2 after negotiations reached an impasse over compensation, minimum staffing of writers' rooms and residual payments in the streaming era, among other issues.

They were joined on the picket lines on July 14 by members of the Screen Actors Guild, effectively halting much of U.S. film and scripted television production.