Girls dominate degree admissions in Telangana

Hyderabad: Girls have surged ahead in Telangana’s degree college admissions this year, securing nearly two out of every three seats in phase I of the Degree Online Services Telangana (DOST) allotments. Their share now stands at almost 65%, leaving boys with just over a third—a striking reversal that has widened steadily over the past five years.

Of the 56,147 seats allotted across 777 colleges for 2026-27, girls claimed 36,302 while boys secured 19,845. The trend marks a sharp decline in male enrolment: From 28,423 seats in 2024 to under 20,000 this year, a drop of more than 30% in just two years. The girls share has climbed from 53% in 2021 to 63% in 2024 and 2025, and now 65% in 2026.

Academics point to multiple factors behind this shift. Economic pressure, migration of boys into the workforce, delayed fee reimbursements, and the lure of alternate courses are reshaping enrolment patterns. In rural Telangana, poverty and lack of access to higher education remain decisive.

A Hari Gopal, junior lecturer in Warangal and vice-president of Telangana Accredited Junior Lecturers Association, said many boys stop after class 12. “Poverty is the sole biggest reason. Until class 12, they study in govt colleges and some of them start part-time jobs from the Intermediate level to support their families. In order to earn immediately after school, many tend to skip higher education and take up odd jobs,” he explained.

He added that inadequate infrastructure and lack of family support compound the problem: “When we tell parents the student has potential to study more, they ask us ‘do the educated get big jobs? If they don’t, then our son can work. Education won’t help him’.”

Experts also highlight systemic issues. Delays in govt fee reimbursements have widened the access gap, while urban contexts bring their own challenges—substance addiction and personal issues among young boys.

Professor Mrunalini Talla of Osmania University’s education department cautioned against reading the numbers solely as dropouts. “A lot of students are now moving towards technical education and new-age courses in order to be ready for the job market, decreasing traditional degree course admissions,” she said.

The widening gender gap cuts across streams, including science and commerce, once male-dominated. Telangana’s admissions data now underscores a deeper social and economic churn reshaping higher education choices in the state.