India's higher education system is the third largest in the world, after China and US. The main governing body at the tertiary level is the UGC (University Grants Commission) , which increases its standards, advises the government, and helps coordinate between the central government and the state government. All accreditation process for higher learning is overseen by 12 autonomous institutions established by the UGC (University Grants Commission).
As of 2010, India has 20 central universities
215 state universities, 100 deemed universities
5 institutions established and functioning under the State act
13 institutes which are of national importance. Other institutions include 16000 colleges spread all over India, including 1800 exclusive women's colleges , functioning under these universities and institutions. The emphasis in the tertiary level of education lies on science and technology. Indian educational institutions by 2004 consisted of a large number of Science & technology institutes. Distance learning is also a recent feature of the Indian higher education system.
Some Technical and management institutions of India, such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), has been globally acclaimed for their standard of education. The IITs enroll about 8000 students annually and the alumni have contributed to both the growth of the private sector and the public sectors of India. However, India has failed to produce world class universities like Harvard or Cambridge.
Besides top rated universities which provide highly competitive world class education to their pupil, India is also home to many universities which have been founded with the sole objective of making easy money. Regulatory authorities like UGC and AICTE have been trying very hard to extirpate the menace of private universities which are
running courses without any affiliation or recognition. Students from rural and semi urban background often fall prey to these institutes and colleges.
Three Indian universities were listed in the Times Higher Education list of the world’s top 200 universities — Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, and Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2005 and 2006. Six Indian Institutes of Technology and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science - Pilani were listed among the top 20 science and technology schools in Asia by Asia week. The Indian School of Business situated in Hyderabad was ranked number 12 in global MBA rankings by the Financial Times of London in 2010 while the All India Institute of Medical Sciences has been recognized as a global leader in medical research and treatment.
