NEW DELHI: Four years after the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 set out to reshape undergraduate education, research, credit mobility and industry linkages, the first AISHE stocktake of NEP implementation shows an uneven map of reforms. Only 56% of the universities surveyed have introduced four-year undergraduate programmes, 49% offer multiple entries and exits, 55% participated in the NIRF and only 7% have learning cells.The Union education ministry on Wednesday released the Indian Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) reports for 2022-23 and 2023-24. AISHE collects data from higher education institutions through a web-based data capture format on student enrolment, faculty and staff, infrastructure, examination results and other parameters, and is treated as the primary source of official higher education statistics.For 2023-24, 1,289 universities/university-level institutions, 48,246 colleges and 15,221 autonomous institutions were registered. Of these, 1,278 universities, 46,468 colleges and 11,787 autonomous institutions responded. The number of universities registered with AISHE has increased from 1,043 in 2019-20 to 1,289 in 2023-24.For the first time, AISHE collected data through a dedicated NEP module to track implementation in universities. The report says, “The following data points collected by AISHE provide critical insights into how the NEP-2020 reforms are progressing in universities.”The data show a partial movement in curriculum reform. While 56% of universities have introduced four-year degree programmes, 58% have adopted the national curriculum and credit framework for degree programmes. About 49% offer multiple entries and exits in academic programs, while 69% are enrolled in the Academic Credit Bank. However, only 43% have adopted SWAYAM regulations.Research and innovation structures show better uptake, but industry-linked exposure remains weak. About 65% of universities have established Research and Development Cells, 58% have Entrepreneurship and Innovation Cells and 58% have reported MoUs for linkage with industry. But only 41% have Practice Cells and only 7% have Learning Cells.The internationalization landscape is also limited. Only 15% of universities participated in international rankings, 26% reported collaboration with foreign higher education institutions, and only 4% collaborated with other institutes for joint degree programs. Only 30% reported offering courses related to the Indian knowledge system.The wider system continues to grow, albeit slowly. Total enrollment rose to 4.50 million in 2023-24 from 4.46 million in 2022-23, an increase of 3.7 billion, or 0.8%. Since 2014-15, enrollment has increased by 31.5%. AISHE’s message is clear: higher education is expanding, but NEP implementation remains uneven.