According to the Ministry of Education, over 19,000 students from OBC, SC, and ST categories withdrew from Central Universities, IITs, and IIMs between 2018 and 2023. Union Minister of State for Education, Subhas Sarkar, provided this information in response to a written question in Rajya Sabha. From 2018 to 2023, 19,256 students dropped out of various courses in Central Universities, Indian Institutes of Technology, and Indian Institutes of Management. Of these, 14,446 were from Central Universities, 4,444 from IITs, and 366 from IIMs.

Sarkar clarified that students have several options in the higher education sector, and they may choose to migrate across institutions or switch courses within the same institution. Such migration or withdrawal is usually due to securing seats in other preferred institutions or personal reasons. He also mentioned that the government has implemented various measures to assist financially disadvantaged students in pursuing their education, such as fee reduction, establishing more institutes, and offering scholarships, including national-level scholarships with priority access for SC and ST students. Additionally, there are schemes in place, such as the waiver of tuition fees in IITs and scholarships in institutes, to support the welfare of SC and ST students.