India's higher education system is the world's third largest in terms of students,after  China and the United States.However, India has the advantage of Englishbeing the primary language of higher education and research. The maingoverning body at the tertiary level is the University Grants Commission (India), whichenforces its standards, advises the government, and helps coordinate between the centreand the state. Universities and its constituent colleges are the main institutes of highereducation in India. Apart from these highereducation institutes there are several private institutes in India that offer variousprofessional courses in India. Distance learning is also a feature of the Indian highereducation system.Some institutions of India, such as the Indian Institutes of technology (IITs), havebeen globally acclaimed for their standard of education. However, India has failed to produce world class universitieslike Harvard and Cambridge.

There is no Indianuniversity in the rankings from 100 to 200.Yet this decisive edge alsohas its shortcomings. Besides top rated universities which provide highly competitive worldclass education to their pupil, India is also home to many universities which have beenfounded with the sole objective of making easy money. UGC and other Regulatoryauthorities have been trying very hard to extirpate the menace of private universities whichare running courses without any affiliation or recognition. Students from rural and semiurban background often fall prey to these institutes and colleges.