印度高等教育中SC/ST/OBC学生数量超过一般类同龄人, 报名差距自2023年开始扩大. SC/ST/OBC students now outnumber General Category peers in Indian higher education, with enrollment gaps widening since 2023.

IIM Udaipur对13年印度高等教育数据的分析研究显示,来自在册种姓、在册部落和其他落后阶层的学生现在超过普通类学生的入学人数,其总比例从2010-11年的43.1%上升到2022-23年的60.8%。 A study by IIM Udaipur analyzing 13 years of India’s higher education data shows that students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes now outnumber General Category students in enrolment, with their combined share rising from 43.1% in 2010–11 to 60.8% in 2022–23. 差距在2023年扩大, SC/ST/OBC学生的入学人数超过一般类学生的950万, 即使包括经济弱势群体. The gap widened in 2023, with 9.5 million more SC/ST/OBC students enrolled than General Category students, even when including the Economically Weaker Section. 这一趋势贯穿政府和私营机构、学科和地区。 The trend holds across government and private institutions, disciplines, and regions. 研究人员说,准入不再是主要障碍,但保留类别中的“奶油层”有可能破坏公平,促使人们呼吁进行有针对性的改革,确保最弱势群体受益。 Researchers say access is no longer the main barrier, but the "creamy layer" within reserved categories risks undermining equity, prompting calls for targeted reforms to ensure benefits reach the most disadvantaged.