Colleges in India are affiliated with Universities or are a part of the University. Most of the colleges in India are either government or private ones; some colleges are autonomous in authority and or finance. The Central Government is responsible for making major policies relating to higher education in the country. State Governments are responsible for setting up State Government Colleges.

• Indian College Education: Structure
• Indian Colleges: Accreditation, Affiliation & Governing Bodies
• AICTE Approved Colleges in India
• Best Colleges in India
  
  • Best Colleges in India: 2018
• List of Autonomous Colleges in India
• Top Colleges in India

In India, the educational structure follows the 'Ten + Two + Three (10+2+3)' pattern. In the first 10 years, a student is provided general education. Then comes the +2 Stage which is divided into various academic and vocational streams. This stage is also known as the Higher Secondary or Senior Secondary Education. The next stage is the +3 Stage, in this stage, a student enters the world of Higher Education. Higher Education is provided in Colleges in one's chosen field of subject or subjects. While the IITs are renowned for their Technical Education, Vocational Education is offered through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Industrial Training Centres (ITCs). Apart from these, there are Arts Colleges, Science Colleges, Commerce Colleges, Engineering Colleges, Architectural Colleges, Medical Colleges, Teacher Training Colleges, Polytechnics, Law Colleges, Management Colleges etc. There are more than 37, 204 Colleges of various types.

Admission to all professional education colleges is done through all-India common admission tests of which the JEE (Mains and Advanced) for Engineering, NEET UG for Medical Medical, CAT for Management courses are the most popular ones.

Most of the Colleges reserve certain seats for SC/ST/BC candidates and a small percentage of seats for foreign students. College education in India provides not only formal education but also develops the overall personality of a student. It is here that the student gets to know where he/she stands in terms of future employment prospects. It just not studies; a whole lot of extra-curricular activities hone or present his skills and provide him with the essential exposure.

Hierarchy of College Education in India

MHRD – Ministry of Human Resource Development or HRD is ministry responsible for the development of human resources. As Education is the driving force behind Human Resources Development, it is the foremost duty of the ministry to facilitate, propagate and develop the required. The ministry has Two Departments, one deals with College education known as Department of Higher Education.

Department of Higher Education – Department of Higher Education deals with secondary and post-secondary education. Its main objective is to develop and improve facilities for higher education and research. To this effect, joint ventures and MoUs have been signed to help the Indian students receive international standard of education. The Department is divided into 8 Bureaus, and most the work of the department is handled through over 100 autonomous organisations under these bureaus. The department has the power to grant Deemed University Status to a befitting college on the advice of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India.

Government Colleges in India – Government Colleges are those colleges which are owned and/or operated by the central or the state governments. In India, government-run colleges comprise only about 15-20%.

Private Colleges in India – Private Colleges are those colleges which are owned and/or operated by some non-governmental organisations or groups. They may be partially funded by the government. Majority of the colleges in India are private, i.e. about 70%.

Autonomous Colleges in India – Autonomous Colleges are those colleges which have the freedom to modify courses of study, syllabi, curricula and faculty. They are free from regulations of the university arising out of affiliation. There are over 500 Autonomous Colleges approved by the UGC.

Best Colleges in India

There isn’t any difference between Best Colleges in India and Top Colleges in India. In fact, the Best Colleges will obviously be the Top Ones. It is a matter of preference of Terminology, whether one prefers to use ‘Best’ or ‘Top’. There are various criteria on which Indian Colleges are considered the best. Surveys, Opinion Polls and other methods are used to figure out the elite ones.

The most common criteria used for determining a Best or Top College are:

• Recognition by AICTE, ICAR, NCTE, MCI          
• Latest NBA/NAAC Certification
• Pedagogic Systems (instructional methods)
• Quality of Infrastructure & Facilities
• Successful Placements

Best Colleges in India: 2018

Best Colleges in India: 2017

Top Colleges in India