With approximately 1200 universities, India stands as one of the largest education systems globally, ranking second in the higher education ecosystem. The higher education landscape plays a significant role in nurturing the intellectual and social capital of a nation, equipping its youth with knowledge, expertise, and essential skills to excel in various industries, thereby fueling the nation’s economic growth.

India is actively enhancing its education sector, evident through various initiatives such as Twinning, Joint, and Dual Degree Programs facilitated by collaborations between Indian and foreign universities under the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations. Furthermore, regulations from the UGC, as outlined in the Draft Regulations of 2023 will allow foreign universities to establish physical campuses in India.

Moreover, the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020 advocates for a range of initiatives, including fostering research and teaching collaborations, facilitating faculty and student exchanges with high-quality international educational institutions, and forging mutually advantageous Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with foreign nations. Additionally, the NEP emphasizes the establishment of International Student Offices at each Higher Education Institution (HEI) to extend a warm welcome and provide support to students from across the globe.

Today, India shows a higher percentage of women in STEM fields (43%) as compared to United States (34%), United Kingdom (38%), Germany (27%), and France (32%). Also, As per the Economic Survey (2022-23) of India, the GDP growth is 6-6.8 % in 2023-24. The government also plans to increase the number of higher institutions like IIT, IIM, and IIIT. To recognize the wonderful efforts that Higher Education Institutes(HEIS) are contributing to equip the youth with the power of knowledge, ObserveNow presents some of the leading HEIs from Northern India. 

Chandigarh University: Chandigarh University (CU) is a leading Indian Institution offering its students a unique amalgamation of professional and academic excellence under the guidance of Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor, Chandigarh University, Prof. (Dr.) R. S. Bawa, Pro-Chancellor, Chandigarh University. They offer a wide spectrum of programs paired with flexibility, experiential learning and interdisciplinary orientation to emancipate our students to explore their interests and pursue dream careers. At CU, they are grooming students to be socially sensitive through intellectually challenging and contemporary diverse courses.

Chitkara University: At Chitkara University under the guidance of Ashok K     Chitkara, Chancellor, Chitkara University; Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University, Chandigarh focuses intensively on getting every student industry-ready. With more than 1500 recruiters visiting their campus every year, their graduates have the support, resources, and facilities they need in a constantly changing world and job market. Chitkara University offers a world of learning that will help students reach their goals.

Sushant University: Since 2012 Sushant University (Erstwhile Ansal University) has been nurturing students from across the world to realise their dreams. With the support of Jai Shankar Mishra, IAS(Retd.), Chairman & Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, Pro Vice-Chancellor & Registrar, Sushant University offers a variety of specially designed courses that offer students a fulfilling career, and not merely a degree. The university has fostered academic collaborations with 15+ international institutions across the globe.

UPES: Under the guidance of Dr. Sunil Rai, Chancellor & Dr. Ram Sharma, Vice Chancellor, UPES, Dehradun, they foster a dynamic and vibrant ecosystem with innovative ideas, lifelong learning and global perspectives. As per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2023, the Ministry of Education, India, UPES has been ranked 52, with a rank of 54 in engineering and a rank of 39 in management. 

Quantum University: Quantum University unfolds a whole new age of learning! It takes into account your aspirations and your passions. Under the guidance of Ajay Goyal, Chancellor, & Dr Vivek Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Quantum University, the university offers a unique interdisciplinary environment where one can study computer science with economics, agriculture with entrepreneurship, or MBA with cyber security. Hundreds of such combinations are waiting to be explored.

Lovely Professional University: With the immense support of Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal, Chancellor, and Dr. Aman Mittal, Vice President of Lovely Professional University, LPU has built the infrastructure of global standards, internationally benchmarked curricula, rich diversity of students, and innovative pedagogy for participative and experiential learning with a focus on research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Ashoka University: Ashoka University’s Liberal Arts and Sciences education enables critical thinking, complex problem solving, effective communication, teamwork, and innovation for impact and change. The Ashoka University education with years of experience of Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Chancellor, Ashoka University, and its excellent faculty provide students with foundational knowledge and disciplinary depth while encouraging them to find unexplored connections across disciplines, leading to innovative outcomes. 

Plaksha University: Under the guidance of Dr. Rudra Pratap, Founding Vice Chancellor, Plaksha University, the university focuses on reimagining technology education by integrating interdisciplinary technology curriculum, liberal arts, and design with hands-on pedagogy and self-development. At Plaksha, they are addressing grand challenges structured around real-time problems, impact-focused research, and tomorrow’s technologies.

Geeta University: Geeta University comes from the Lineage of the Geeta Group of Institutions, A giant educational hub with a presence since 1985. They have laid the runway for thousands of dreams taking off to the destination of careers with a journey marked with expertise, experience, and excellence. With the support and guidance of Ankush Bansal, Pro-Chancellor, Geeta University & Prof. (Dr.) Vikas Singh, Founding Vice Chancellor, Geeta University, Panipat, Geeta University is the culmination of aspirations, ambitions, and an honest attempt at creating a world-class professional curriculum spread over an invigorating campus environment.

Disclaimer: The organizations/ individuals listed above are not presented in ascending order. Their placement within the list does not imply any hierarchy, ranking, or preference.