How non-government colleges are dominating India’s AYUSH education boom

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As the Centre pushes to widen the role of AYUSH in India’s healthcare system — including through greater coverage, rural outreach and integration with mainstream health services — the country’s AYUSH medical education infrastructure has expanded rapidly. But government data suggests the expansion has been driven largely by non-government institutions.

Of the 541 Ayurveda colleges in April 2024, 467 were non-government — nearly 86% of the total. In Homoeopathy, 236 of 277 colleges, or about 85%, were non-government.

The pattern was similar in other systems. Of the 58 Unani colleges, only 16 were government-run; just three of 17 Siddha colleges and 15 of 71 Yoga and Naturopathy colleges were government institutions. The data clearly indicate that non-government institutions have become an important source of undergraduate medical education in AYUSH.

India’s push to expand AYUSH is not merely a recent revival of traditional medicine but an effort to integrate Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Yoga, Naturopathy, and Homoeopathy into the formal healthcare system.

Ayurveda has roots going back thousands of years, while Siddha developed in southern India and Unani became established in the subcontinent through centuries of interaction with the Islamic world. Yoga and Naturopathy developed along different trajectories, while Homoeopathy arrived from Europe in the 19th century and subsequently acquired a substantial following in India. The modern Indian state has therefore treated AYUSH not merely as folk medicine but as a collection of systems requiring institutions, education, regulation and research.

The institutional journey gathered pace after Independence, with the Government gradually creating structures for education, research and regulation. The decisive change came in November 2014, when AYUSH became a full-fledged Union ministry. Sowa Rigpa, the traditional Tibetan medical system, was subsequently added to the group.

Since 2014, the Government has sought to move AYUSH from the margins of the health system towards greater institutional recognition. Its agenda includes education, research, standardisation of medicines, hospitals and dispensaries, medicinal plants and the integration of AYUSH services into public healthcare. The expansion of medical education is now one of the clearest signs of this growth.

The number of AYUSH colleges rose from 789 in 2021 to 971 in 2024, while total admission capacity increased from 63,477 to 79,593. The permitted-seat capacity rose even faster, from 50,711 to 72,490.

But the most striking feature is who is providing this education. In Ayurveda, 467 of 541 colleges in April 2024 were non-government institutions. In Homoeopathy, the corresponding figure was 236 of 277.

There is also evidence of strong demand, particularly for Ayurveda. In 2024-25, 39,952 of 40,136 permitted Ayurveda undergraduate seats were filled. Across Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy, 60,890 students were admitted against 63,073 permitted seats.