Nearly 4 in 10 IIT Faculty Posts Vacant: India's Higher Education System Faces Teacher Shortage

India's higher education system is expanding rapidly, but the availability of qualified teachers is not keeping pace with the growing number of students. A new working paper by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) has highlighted significant faculty shortages across premier educational institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

According to the paper, nearly 39% of sanctioned faculty positions at IITs were vacant as of March 2023. The shortage was also substantial at other centrally funded institutions, including Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs).

The report raises concerns about India's ability to maintain academic standards while expanding access to higher education. It argues that increasing student intake and establishing new institutions must be accompanied by adequate recruitment of teachers and investment in academic infrastructure.

Student Enrolment Rises 31.5%, but Teacher Numbers Grow Slowly

The EAC-PM working paper, titled How India is Transforming Educational Capacity under the New Education Policy 2020: School Networks, Higher Education and Pathways to Work, highlights the growing mismatch between student enrolment and the teaching workforce.Between 2014-15 and 2023-24, the number of students enrolled in higher education increased by 31.5%, rising from 3.42 crore to 4.50 crore.During the same period, the number of teachers increased by only 17.6%, from 14.73 lakh to 17.32 lakh.

This imbalance has affected the student-teacher ratio in higher education institutions. The ratio increased from approximately 23 students per teacher in 2014-15 to 26 students per teacher in 2023-24.The findings indicate that the expansion of higher education has not been matched by a proportionate increase in teaching capacity.

IITs, IIMs and NITs Report Significant Faculty Vacancies

The working paper also highlights faculty shortages across India's leading centrally funded technical and management institutions.

According to parliamentary committee figures cited in the EAC-PM paper, the vacancy position as of March 2023 was as follows:

The figures show that IIITs recorded the highest vacancy rate at 54%, followed by IITs at 39%. IIMs reported 31% vacancies, while NITs had 29% of their sanctioned teaching positions unfilled.The IISER system presented a comparatively better picture, with only 7% of faculty positions vacant.

IIITs Have the Highest Faculty Vacancy Rate

Among the institutions covered in the parliamentary data, IIITs reported the most significant faculty shortage. More than half of their sanctioned teaching positions were vacant.The shortage across IITs and other institutions reflects challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified faculty members, particularly in specialised academic and research fields.

The figures also show that faculty shortages are not uniform across institutions. While some institutions have managed to fill most sanctioned positions, others continue to face substantial staffing gaps.

Latest IIT Data Also Points to a Persistent Shortage

A separate analysis of institution-wise data published in 2026 by NDTV found that 22 IITs together had 12,198 sanctioned faculty positions, of which 7,558 were occupied. This left 4,640 vacancies, representing a vacancy rate of approximately 38%.IIT Kharagpur reported the highest vacancy rate at 51.31%, followed by IIT (ISM) Dhanbad at 48.4%.The data indicates that significant faculty shortages have continued in several IITs despite recruitment initiatives.

Why Are Faculty Positions Remaining Vacant?

The shortage of teachers in higher education institutions is linked to several challenges, including:

• Limited availability of qualified candidates: Institutions often require specialised academic qualifications and research experience, restricting the pool of eligible applicants.
• Competition for talent: Indian institutions compete with international universities and other organisations to attract highly qualified researchers.
• Growing student enrolment: Increasing admissions have raised the demand for faculty members, laboratories and academic support.
• Recruitment delays: Vacancies arising from retirements, resignations and institutional expansion can take time to fill.

IIT Gandhinagar Director Rajat Moona has attributed part of the recruitment challenge to the limited availability of candidates with the required academic and research credentials. He has also highlighted competition from leading international universities for highly trained researchers.

Why Faculty Shortages Matter for India's Higher Education System

A shortage of teachers can affect more than classroom teaching. Faculty members are responsible for supervising research, mentoring students, conducting practical sessions and supporting academic development.When institutions operate with fewer teachers than their sanctioned strength, existing faculty members may face increased workloads. This can also limit the time available for research guidance and individual student support.

The EAC-PM working paper emphasises that higher education expansion should not be measured only through the number of institutions, campuses or student admissions. Adequate faculty strength, research facilities and academic infrastructure are equally important.India's higher education challenge, therefore, is not simply to accommodate more students but to ensure that institutions have the teaching capacity required to provid