India’s higher education sector is expanding, but growth brings difficult questions about institutional sustainability, graduate employability, research funding and the purpose of university rankings. For private universities, the challenge is not just to expand enrolment and infrastructure but also to balance affordability, academic quality and long‑term financial viability.
Vineet Gupta, one of the founders of Ashoka University and Plaksha University, believes that Indian higher education needs to rethink some of its prevailing assumptions. He argues that not every university needs to become a research institution, and that rankings weighted heavily towards research can push institutions to pursue publications and patents without necessarily strengthening their core academic mission. In this interview with ET Education, Gupta discusses the challenges facing higher education leaders, the role of AI, the economics of private universities and why India remains a difficult destination for international students.
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