Beyond Delhi and Bengaluru: How Tier-2 cities are reshaping India’s higher education landscape

Universities in Tier-2 cities such as Coimbatore, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Indore and Bhubaneswar are witnessing a sharp rise in applications, stronger industry partnerships and growing demand for future-focused programmes in AI, semiconductors, analytics and design. Institutions including IIT Gandhinagar, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, JK Lakshmipat University, Birla Global University, Medicaps University and Chandigarh University say affordability, quality of life, startup ecosystems and regional economic growth are helping reshape India’s higher-education landscape beyond traditional metro cities.

Students who once automatically gravitated toward Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune or overseas universities are increasingly choosing cities like Coimbatore, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Indore, Bhubaneswar and Chandigarh instead. What was earlier seen as a second preference is now becoming a deliberate choice for many students and families looking for affordability, strong placements and future-ready programmes.

Universities located in these emerging education corridors say they are witnessing sharp growth in applications from across India, stronger demand for AI, semiconductor and analytics-focused programmes, deeper industry partnerships, and even rising interest from faculty and students who earlier preferred metro campuses or foreign universities.

The shift reflects a deeper transformation in India’s higher-education landscape. Affordability, startup ecosystems, research infrastructure, employability outcomes and quality of life are beginning to matter more than the traditional appeal associated with metro campuses.

Institutions including IIT Gandhinagar, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, JK Lakshmipat University, Medicaps University, Birla Global University and Chandigarh University Online say students today are evaluating universities less by geography and more by opportunities for innovation, interdisciplinary learning, entrepreneurship and career mobility.

For decades, cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune dominated the country’s academic imagination — attracting students, faculty, recruiters, startups and research investments. But a new generation of education hubs is steadily rising beyond the metros.

From Coimbatore and Indore to Jaipur, Gandhinagar and Bhubaneswar, Tier-2 cities are increasingly positioning themselves as serious destinations for quality higher education, research, innovation and employability.

Universities located in these cities say they are witnessing a sharp rise in applications from across the country, growing interest in future-focused programmes, stronger industry linkages, and even a reversal of the long-held migration trend toward metros and overseas destinations.

The transformation is being driven by a combination of affordability, improving infrastructure, regional industrial growth, startup ecosystems, policy support under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the rise of multidisciplinary private universities and research institutions.

Education leaders believe the next decade of Indian higher education may no longer be defined only by metro dominance. Instead, they see multiple regional knowledge hubs emerging across the country, each backed by its own industry strengths, research ecosystem and student base.

Students are moving beyond the metros

One of the clearest indicators of this shift is the changing student demographic profile at universities located in Tier-2 cities. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), India’s higher-education enrolment has crossed 4.33 crore students, with universities saying much of the next phase of growth is increasingly coming from Tier-2 and Tier-3 India.

Institutions across Coimbatore, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Indore and Chandigarh report a wider geographic spread of applicants and a noticeable change in student aspirations over the past five years. At IIT Gandhinagar, Director Prof Rajat Moona said students are now increasingly coming from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities across the country, reflecting how access to quality higher education is expanding beyond traditional urban centres.

The institute says students are showing growing interest in interdisciplinary learning, research opportunities, startups and emerging sectors such as semiconductors and advanced electronics. A similar trend is visible at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore, where Vice Chancellor Dr P Venkat Rangan said students are now looking beyond conventional degrees and prioritising research exposure, employability, entrepreneurship, global mobility and social impact.

At Chandigarh University Online, admissions have grown fourfold between FY24 and FY26, with learners now coming from all the states and more than 900 cities across India. The university says states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra together contributed nearly 20% of its learner base over the last three years, while cities such as Ludhiana, Karnal, Amritsar, Patna and Panipat together accounted for nearly one in every ten admissions.

Similar diversification trends are visible at Jaipur-based JK Lakshmipat University, Medicaps University in Indore and Birla Global University in Bhubaneswar, all of which say they are attracting students from newer geographies including the Northeast, South India and non-traditional higher-education markets.

AI, semiconductors, design and analytics become new academic priorities

The changing geography of students is accompanied by a sharp shift in programme preferences. Traditional engineering and management degrees continue to attract students, but universities say the strongest growth is happening in interdisciplinary and technology-driven programmes.

At Chandigarh University Online, enrolments have surged in AI/ML, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, FinTech, Business Analytics and Digital Marketing.

JK Lakshmipat University says students are increasingly gravitating toward artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science and VLSI design, aligned with India’s growing semiconductor ambitions.

Why the metro monopoly is weakening

Education leaders say Tier-2 cities today offer a combination of affordability, accessibility, quality of life and expansion opportunities that metros increasingly struggle to provide.

“Metros struggle more and more to offer what Tier-2 cities can: scale with intimacy,” said Dr Rangan of Amrita.

Universities point to lower living costs, easier campus expansion, stronger community engagement, cleaner environments and reduced congestion as key advantages. For families facing rising education costs, affordability has become a major factor.

Startups, semiconductors and industry are reshaping campuses

Another major factor behind the rise of Tier-2 education hubs is the growing integration between universities and regional industry ecosystems. Institutions across cities say collaborations with local industries, startups, incubators and technology companies are directly strengthening internships, placements, entrepreneurship and research opportunities.

At Chandigarh University Online, partnerships with organisations including Microsoft, PwC India, PMI, Harvard and Internshala are helping create industry-aligned curriculum pathways.

The university says project-based learning, industry masterclasses and career-focused certifications are helping bridge the employability gap. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham says its Technology Business Incubator (TBI) has incubated more than 208 startups and mentored over 500 startup ideas.

“Our approach has been to view industry not as a placement destination, but as a co-creator of learning,” said Dr Rangan.

The metro and overseas pull is weakening

Perhaps the most significant trend universities are observing is the gradual weakening of the traditional “metro or overseas” aspiration. Institutions say both students and faculty are increasingly evaluating universities based on academic quality, research infrastructure, affordability, placements, quality of life and institutional culture — rather than geography alone.

The shift accelerated after the pandemic, when families began reassessing the cost-benefit equation of expensive metro and overseas education. “There is a visible shift in learner behaviour,” said Chandigarh University Online’s Raviraja N Seetharam.

He pointed to global factors such as Canada’s study permit caps, UK dependent visa restrictions, currency pressures and the widening cost gap between Indian and overseas education. “The institution is a beneficiary of a structural shift,” he said. At Medicaps University, Dr Patnaik said the pandemic triggered a rethink that “hasn’t reversed.” “Families started questioning whether paying three times more in a metro actually guarantees better outcomes,” he said.

Policy, infrastructure and economic growth are reshaping education geography

Education leaders believe state policy support, infrastructure development and regional industrial growth are playing a decisive role in strengthening Tier-2 education ecosystems. Tamil Nadu’s investments in education, skilling and industry development have helped cities like Coimbatore evolve into integrated “knowledge regions”, according to Amrita University.

In Gujarat, the rapid growth of semiconductors, electronics manufacturing, renewable energy and digital infrastructure is creating stronger academia-industry linkages. “Policy support, industry growth and academic institutions coming together naturally help cities evolve into strong hubs for education, research and innovation,” said IIT Gandhinagar’s Prof Moona.

In Rajasthan, JK Lakshmipat University pointed to the sharp rise in women’s participation in higher education. According to the university, female enrolment in higher education in the state has risen from 1.63 lakh in 2008 to over 7 lakh in 2026.

India’s next knowledge corridors

Snapshot: How Tier-2 institutions are building national visibility

Rankings and reputation are becoming less metro-centric

The rise of Tier-2 institutions is also becoming visible in national and global rankings. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham was ranked 8th among Indian universities in NIRF 2025 and 17th overall, while also featuring among the country’s leading research institutions.

Institutions outside traditional metros are increasingly building reputations around interdisciplinary learning, sustainability, startup incubation, AI research and industry integration rather than relying solely on legacy location advantages. Education leaders say this marks a broader decentralisation of India’s higher-education ecosystem, where research infrastructure, employability outcomes and innovation ecosystems are becoming more important than a metro address alone.

The emergence of Tier-2 education hubs reflects a larger structural transformation in Indian higher education. As the country attempts to expand access, improve employability, strengthen research and reduce geographic concentration, cities beyond the traditional metros are increasingly becoming central to that story.

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