GUWAHATI

More than 1.85 lakh students in Assam secured admission for undergraduate courses without paying any fee, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday (June 19, 2026).

He said the fee-waiver scheme was more than just a statistic, calling it a reflection of the extensive reach of the Assam government’s welfare programmes and their role in strengthening the foundations of society through education.

“Zero admission fees paid by over 1.95 lakh undergraduate students in Assam this year, till now,” the Chief Minister said.

Officials said the fee-waiver initiative is intended to reduce the financial burden on students and their families while encouraging higher education enrolment across Assam. The scheme forms part of the State government’s efforts to improve access to quality and affordable education.

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said a total of 2,28,943 students secured admission to the first semester of four-year undergraduate programmes across colleges and universities through a dedicated government portal. Of these students, 1,85,796 students availed the fee-waiver scheme.

“Notably, 55.65% of the admitted students are female, reflecting the growing participation of girls in higher education across the State,” he said, adding that a final mop-up round of admissions would be conducted from July 29-31 after the declaration of the Common University Entrance Test results and completion of the admission process.

Earlier, citing the latest All-India Survey on Higher Education data, Mr. Pegu said Assam’s gross enrolment ratio (GER) was 16.9%, below the national average of 28.4%.

The GER in higher education is calculated by dividing the number of enrolled students by the population aged 18-23 years, then multiplying by 100. The New Education Policy aims for a 50% GER by 2030.

Assam has more than 800 government and private higher education institutions.

According to the Unified District Information System for Education Plus data for 2024-25, the dropout rate at the lower and secondary levels in Assam improved from the previous fiscal. However, transitioning out of the schooling system remains a major challenge before and after Class 12.

The data showed 71.9% of the students drop out before completing classes 11 and 12.