New Private Liberal Education Universities

Shruti Shankar

PhD Scholar, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru

Labelling and Defining a New Category of Higher Education Institutions 

While investigating the higher education preferences of senior secondary students at an international school [12] in Bengaluru, I discovered that students and their families have a strong preference for a specific type of higher education institution (HEI). While the term “international school” is associated with a variety of schools, in this essay, I use the term to refer to schools which offer either Cambridge International Education or International Baccalaureate curricula. My one year-long participant observation as a Sociology teacher and college counsellor at the school, revealed that the institutions they preferred tended to be recently founded private institutions. Examples of such institutions include Ashoka University, Krea University, Shiv Nadar University, Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Azim Premji University, O P Jindal Global University, and Plaksha University. In fact, these universities were the most preferred among students in the school. Further research revealed that they were popular among graduates of other international schools too. This seemed to me a unique educational choice that a section of elite families was making, prompting me to understand this type of HEI and the role it played in the educational strategies of the elite. 

While the cropping up of these institutions has been noted widely (Brara, 2013; “India’s Top-Ranked Private Liberal Arts & Humanities Universities 2025-26,” 2025; Matta & Kaushik, 2021), within Indian education scholarship, the literature that defines and analyses them as a category is sparse. Given their significant footprint upon the Indian higher education sector, its elite students, and preference for faculty with doctorates and/or post-doctorates from foreign universities, it becomes important to pay attention to these institutions. Notable exceptions that pay attention to this category are Nandini Dhar (2021) and Eldho Mathews (2022a, 2022b). Dhar, in her political-economy analysis of the controversial resignation of a famous faculty at Ashoka University, refers to such universities as “new style liberal universities” (2021, p. 120) and in another paragraph as, “neoliberal, private universities” (2021, p. 120). She associates terms such as “neoliberal,” “strategic inclusion,” and “philanthrocapitalism” among others, with the practices of these universities. Mathews refers to them as “elite private” (Mathews, 2022a, 2022b). In ‘Rise of Elite Private Universities in India’ (2022a), he analyses the OP Jindal Global University and Shiv Nadar University in detail, noting their rise as a new form of “elitism” as a consequence of intensive privatisation, with corporate philanthropy playing a key role in their growth. He goes on to provide an extensive list of the “factors influencing the direction of these institutions” (2022a, p. 61) and discusses their positioning strategies and divergence from the older generation of private universities. However, he stops short of defining them as a category. In his brief article, ‘Elite Private Universities are Shaking Up the HE Sector’ (2022b), we are able to discern two specific characteristics he uses for these institutions: their founding in “the last decade” i.e., after the year 2010 and their tendency to focus upon liberal arts and sciences, diverging from “traditional private” institutions, which tend to largely offer professional and technical degrees.

These terms, while accurate, describe some characteristics of these institutions, leaving out other important characteristics. This allows the possibility of confusing these institutions with other kinds of elite and private institutions. For example, “elite private” can also refer to institutions such as Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education or Ramaiah Institute of Technology which belong to an earlier generation of private institutions and focus on professional degrees. Even among the liberal arts and sciences institutions, “elite” can refer to older reputed institutions such as Presidency College, Kolkata, or Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. 

The universities chosen by the students at this school had many distinguishing features apart from their relative newness. They focused upon liberal arts and sciences programmes, but they offered greater flexibility in subject choices and charged higher fees as compared to typical Indian institutions offering such degrees. Importantly, the association between private HEIs and questionable quality of education (apart from a few notable exceptions), previously a major concern for education scholars (Tilak, 2018; Menon, 2016) appears to be being dismantled by these institutions. These distinctions need to be captured, in as specific terms as possible. Thus, I felt the need for a term that definitively refers to this type of institution and distinguishes it from other categories of HEIs. So, I added two more characteristics to those identified by Mathews (2022b). Thus, the category of HEI that I label as “New Private Liberal Education Universities” or “NPLEUs” in short, may be defined as follows. 

Characteristics discerned from Mathews (2022b):

  1. Typically founded after 2010
  2. Offering a liberal arts and sciences education with a flexible choice of subjects

I add two more characteristics as follows: 

  1. Promoted by corporate entities or individuals with experience in the business sector
  2. Charging fees typically in the range of INR 5 to 15 lakhs per annum

The universities mentioned as examples of students’ choices meet all or most of the above characteristics. Among these, a notable example which does not meet the fee criterion is Azim Premji University. The university’s fee is lower than the range described (Azim Premji University, 2025). Another university which does not neatly fit the criterion of offering liberal arts and sciences programmes is Plaksha University. Plaksha offers bachelor’s degrees in technology. Interestingly, Plaksha positions itself as “reimagining Tech Education” through an “an interdisciplinary technology curriculum that integrates liberal arts and design” (Plaksha University, 2023), ultimately aligning itself with the trend towards liberal arts and sciences like other NPLEUs. 

It is useful to recall Weber’s concept of “ideal types” (1949, p. 90) here. When viewed as an ideal type, “NPLEUs” can be seen, not as an accurate description of reality, but as an approximation of a phenomenon occurring in Indian higher education based on some observable characteristics. As per Weber, social scientists create ideal types with the objective of deepening knowledge of society. I have found that categorising these universities as “New Private Liberal Education Universities” and attaching these characteristics to the category has been useful in understanding the educational strategies of the parents in the international school where I conducted my fieldwork. Further, it has also aided in decoding how the privatised higher education landscape in India is diversifying. 

The Emerging Pipeline between International Schools and New Private Liberal Education Universities

International schools and NPLEUs share many similarities: their educational philosophies focusing on free and flexible exploration of one’s interests; a largely “upper” class, “upper” caste [3], urban student body; and their functioning as a pragmatic educational strategy for the elite (Shankar, 2025).

While Vasavi (as cited in Raghupathi, 2015) suggests that NPLEUs appear to be occupying the space being vacated by declining public arts and sciences undergraduate institutions, I also interpret the emergence of the international school-to-NPLEU pipeline as an indicator of a mature privatised education “market.” Within this “market,” there now appears to be a diversity of institutions emerging as “solutions” for the requirements of various economic strata and cultural orientations within the elite. While some elites continue to choose prestigious public institutions and professional degrees, intensifying investment in coaching and tuition (Rao, 2017), others choose to send students abroad for undergraduate studies (King & Sondhi, 2018). Some, like the parents in the international school I studied, choose NPLEUs. 

As the Indian higher education landscape unfolds under the shadow of intensive privatisation, neoliberalism and globalisation, researchers are studying its diverse aspects, from land acquisition (Bagchi, 2021) to mental health (Devraj, 2025). The concept of NPLEUs may be useful in such research to distinguish a particular category of HEIs, as described in this essay.

References

Azim Premji University. (2025). Fees & financial aid. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/undergraduate/fees-financial-aid

Bagchi, D. (2021). Education hub in Sonipat: Exploring the land-university nexus (Working Paper No.12). Max Weber Stiftung Education and the Urban in India. https://doi.org/10.25360/01-2021-00006

Brara, N. (2013, January 24). In India, a rise of private universities and liberal arts programs. The New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/in-india-a-rise-of-private-universities-and-liberal-arts-programs/

Devraj, S. P. (2025, October 5). Education, mental health or purpose: Who holds the key?. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/education/colleges/education-mental-health-or-purpose-who-holds-the-key/article70107918.ece

Dhar, N. (2021). Public intellectuals in private universities: An Edenic parable from India. Journal of Transdisciplinary Peace Praxis, 3(2), 109–131. 

India’s top-ranked private liberal arts & humanities universities 2025-26. (2025, April). EducationWorld. https://educationworld.in/indias-top-ranked-private-liberal-arts-humanities-universities-2025-26/

King, R., & Sondhi, G. (2018). International student migration: A comparison of UK and Indian students’ motivations for studying abroad. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 16(2), 176–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2017.1405244

Mathews, E. (2022a). Rise of elite private universities in India. In N. V. Varghese & J. Panigrahi (Eds.), India higher education report 2021: Private higher education (pp. 56–67). Taylor and Francis. 

Mathews, E. (2022b, December 3). Elite private universities are shaking up the HE sector. University World News. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20221129094334661

Matta, A., & Kaushik, M. (2021, April 21). The state of liberal arts education in India. Forbes India. https://www.forbesindia.com/article/edtech-special/the-state-of-liberal-arts-education-in-india/67547/1

Menon, S. (2016). Higher education in India: Against the backdrop of the evolving political economy. In C. S. Collins, M. N. N. Lee, J. N. Hawkins, & D. E. Neubauer (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of Asia Pacific higher education (pp. 531–545). Palgrave Macmillan. 

Plaksha University. (2023, May 16). Reimagining tech education for India and the world. https://plaksha.edu.in/blog/plaksha-university-reimagining-tech-education-for-india-and-the-world

Raghupathi, H. (2015, January 15). India’s liberal arts renaissance. EducationWorld. https://www.educationworld.in/indias-liberal-arts-renaissance/

Rao, S. S. (2017). Transition from elite to mass system of higher education in India: What does massification mean for equality? Journal of Educational Planning and Administration, 31(2), 141–156. 

Shankar, S. (2025). International schools in India and the emergence of a new school-to-university pipeline. Contemporary Education Dialogue, 22(2), 353–360. https://doi.org/10.1177/09731849251334482

Tilak, J. B. G. (2018). Education and Development in India. Palgrave Macmillan. 

Weber, M. (1949). Objectivity in social science and social policy. In E. A., Shils & H. A. Finch (Ed. and trans.), The methodology of the social sciences. Free Press. 

Bio: Shruti Shankar is a Social Science teacher and researcher, currently pursuing her PhD at National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru. Her dissertation investigates the discourses surrounding work within a diverse set of schools in Bengaluru. Her work experience includes teaching, curriculum design, and the training of teachers and principals. Shruti’s research interests lie at the intersection of education and work, dealing with themes such as skill development, international schools, merit, and social mobility.

Endnotes:

[1] To uphold research ethics and protect the institution and associated individuals, the school’s name and other identifying details are intentionally withheld.

[2] The terms “international” and “global” are often used in discourses surrounding Indian education to refer only to Western, early-industrialised nations in Western Europe, North America, as well as, Australia and New Zealand. I acknowledge the politics of this usage. However, an in-depth discussion of the issue is outside scope of this essay.

[3] The word “upper” when used in connection with class and caste has been put within quotations to indicate that class and caste hierarchies are not natural or inherent but rather socially constructed.