Is medical & engineering education only for the rich?

In India, becoming a doctor or engineer often requires spending lakhs, or even crores, if one fails to secure admission to a government institution. The State of Working India 2026 report highlights the challenges faced by young people. While India has made significant progress in expanding access to higher education for its 15–29 age group, facilitating a shift from agriculture to industry and services, and reducing gender and caste disparities, the report underscores a persistent reality: access to education is still closely tied to financial capacity. It reveals that monetary barriers play a decisive role in entry into professional courses. Students from richer households are far more likely to opt for engineering and medicine, as the cost of these degrees often exceeds the annual per capita expenditure of poorer families.

The study also notes that college availability increased from 29 per lakh youth in 2010 to 45 in 2021. However, this expansion has largely been driven by private institutions. Regional disparities remain significant, and the shortage of teachers continues to be a pressing concern. Faculty growth has not kept pace with rising student numbers. Against AICTE norms of 15–20 students per teacher, private colleges average 28, while public institutions average 47. Addressing vacancies and strengthening recruitment remain critical to ensuring that learning outcomes are not compromised by resource constraints.

The widening gap between education and employment is quietly pushing an entire generation towards joblessness, said AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha recently. The report further highlights that graduate unemployment among 15–29-year-olds remains alarmingly high, nearly 40% for those aged 15–25, and 20% for those between 25–29. Only a small proportion secure stable salaried jobs within a year of graduation.

It also warns that India’s working-age population share will begin to decline after 2030. The pace of job creation in the coming decades will be crucial to ensure that the country’s demographic dividend translates into a meaningful economic dividend.