More women students have secured undergraduate admissions in Delhi University (DU) than men every year since the introduction of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) in 2022, government data shows. For the academic years 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25, DU admitted 34,010, 36,126, and 39,242 female students, respectively, compared to 30,662, 32,425, and 33,124 male students in the same years.
Gender-wise enrolment trends at DU
According to data shared by the Ministry of Education in Parliament, there has been a steady increase in the number of girls taking the CUET (UG) since its launch. In 2022–23, 4.29 lakh women appeared for the test; this rose to 5.13 lakh in 2023–24 and further to 5.94 lakh in 2024–25. The data was shared by the Minister of State for Education Dr Sukanta Majumdar, in response to a question on whether CUET had led to a drop in girl student enrolment, especially from remote areas.
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The Ministry maintained that CUET was introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to reduce pressure on students and create a common platform for university admissions. CUET is now accepted not just by Central Universities like DU, but also by State, Deemed, and Private Universities, with the number of participating institutions growing from 90 in the first year to 240 in the latest edition.
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Officials emphasised that the test is designed to provide a level playing field across students from various boards and geographies, thereby improving access to higher education, particularly for those from rural and remote regions.
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Beyond Delhi University, the total number of girl students enrolling in undergraduate courses across institutions in Delhi-NCR has also gone up. As per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), 4.09 lakh girls were enrolled in 2020–21, 4.25 lakh in 2021–22, and 4.91 lakh in 2022–23, marking a consistent upward trend.
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To further promote women’s participation in higher education, the government is implementing a number of targeted schemes. The University Grants Commission (UGC) runs the “Development of Women’s Studies in Indian Universities and Colleges” scheme to fund Women’s Studies.
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Additionally, scholarships such as AICTE’s Pragati scheme support meritorious girl students in technical education. The Department of Science and Technology also runs dedicated programmes like WISE-KIRAN and SERBPOWER to support women in science and research roles across academic and R&D institutions.
