India Today magazine has come up with its most awaited 24th edition of India Today Best Colleges survey 2020 elucidating the most authentic progress of colleges across the country. The global pandemic, is forcing the students to ponder about their career as colleges are expected to reopen in September and admission process has gone online. The next academic session in this backdrop will be more about digital infrastructure. Colleges have been forced to optimally utilise their ability and efficiency and follow physical distancing leading to evolution of online learning methodology for discerning students ensuring safety of studying at home versus the privilege of enrolling in a star college in a big city. Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, India’s top hot-spots for higher education are sadly epicentres of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The issue covers many lingering questions in public mind such as ‘is it safe to stay in a hostel or paying guest accommodation in these cities’? How good are colleges in India’s smaller cities? Will the competition become more cut-throat this year as the number of Indian students going abroad is set to see a big dip due to COVID-19, among others. Though 31 cities participated in the survey, the top 25 colleges in arts, science and commerce are restricted to only eight cities, the top 25 engineering and law colleges only in six cities. The medical stream does a little better, with the top 25 colleges spread across 11 cities.

Interestingly, this geographical disparity favours expanding digital education, which can help top institutes take their courses and classes to remote areas. It’s also important that government institutes take a lead to reduce the gap in the quality of education in government and private institutes, particularly in engineering and medical education viz-a-viz cost-effectiveness. To help you make financially viable decisions, India Today Best Colleges survey guides you to the colleges which charge the lowest course fee and most importantly, helps with the placements. The survey also brings the emerging colleges of India—colleges that were set up in this century, in or after the year 2000—across all 14 streams.

Marketing and Development Research Associates (MDRA), a reputed market research agency, conducted the survey across 14 streams—arts, science, commerce, medical, dental, engineering, architecture, law, mass communication, hotel management, BBA, BCA, social work and fashion design.

All these and much more packed in the India Today Best Colleges special issue that hits the stand today, June 26 2020.