In a disconcerting turn of events, multiple schools within various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have experienced a decline in candidate applications for their doctoral programmes. This downward trajectory in interest for pursuing a PhD has been evident since 2021, but the trend has now become more pronounced, causing concern among educators in India’s premier STEM institutions.
While the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted education globally, its ramifications are still reverberating. The implications have extended to PhD applications at IITs and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), with numbers showing a reluctance to rebound, as highlighted in a working paper authored by a senior professor from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
Professor D Manjunath, from IIT Bombay, emphasized that this waning interest in PhDs arrives at a time when these institutions boast record faculty strengths, abundant research funding, and an increasing demand for intellectual resources. Titled ‘Engineering PhDs in Premier Institutions: What’s the Slope?’, Professor Manjunath’s paper has been widely circulated within academic circles, spotlighting the concerning trend.
The majority of institutions follow two PhD admission cycles annually, in May and December. Remarkably, application numbers for the December cycle are significantly lower than those for the May cycle. The working paper revealed a decline in applications across core engineering streams, including chemical, civil, computer science, electrical, and mechanical engineering. This trend was evident not only at IITs in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Gandhinagar but also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science.
Interestingly, the All India Survey on Higher Education presents a contrasting scenario, indicating an increase in enrolments at institutes elsewhere. Professor Manjunath speculated that this could be attributed to prospective applicants seeking alternative, potentially less challenging pathways to obtain a PhD.
The decline in application numbers at esteemed institutes like the IITs can be attributed to various factors. Some students opt to pursue higher education abroad, while others secure government jobs. Additionally, there has been a perceptible dip in the quality of master’s programmes, which serve as a precursor to PhD pursuits. Many master’s programmes are grappling with attrition rates, impacting the morale of students who choose to continue, even as their numbers dwindle.
Acknowledging these challenges, Professor Manjunath noted that certain institutions are contemplating canceling or substantially downgrading their master’s courses. This, however, could negatively impact the pool of qualified students for future PhD candidates. To ensure a steady influx of qualified individuals into the PhD pipeline, there is an urgent need to rejuvenate and preserve these master’s programmes.
The evolving landscape underscores the importance of balancing educational standards, fostering interest in research, and upholding the reputation of India’s premier academic institutions. As the academic community grapples with these dynamics, preserving the integrity of the PhD pursuit remains a pivotal goal.