India Higher Education Research Conference 2025

Nov 21-22, 2025 New Delhi, India

About Conference

IHERN will organise its flagship research conference, Indian Higher Education Research Conference (IHERC) on 21-22 November, 2025 in New Delhi, India. The conference will serve as a platform for presenting high-quality research of relevance to Indian higher education, and also for discussing practice and policy issues relating to Indian higher education. The conference will enable and promote research in the scholarly field of higher education, and linking the same with the practice and policy of higher education in India.

IHERC 2025 will be at the intersection of various scholarly fields, including but not limited to higher education studies, the empirical context of higher education in India, and the practice and policy of higher education in India. The conference expects to have participation from the global scholarly community, with interests in Indian higher education.

Governance and Management

General Chairs
  • Pankaj Chandra, Ahmedabad University, India
  • Philip Altbach, Boston College, USA
Program Chairs
  • Camille B. Kandiko Howson, Imperial College London, UK
  • Debananda Misra, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
Program Committee
Organizing Committee
  • Bikkrama Daulet Singh, The Convergence Foundation
  • Mousumi Mukherjee, O P Jindal Global University
  • Neeta Inamdar, Manipal Academy of Higher Education
  • Vivek Nair, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India

The Steering Committee of IHERN will also be the steering committee for the IHERC.

Themes of the conference

The conference will be organized around contemporary topics about higher education in India, including but not limited to the below

  • Employability and student success
  • Equity and inclusion
  • Expansion, Access, and Participation
  • Higher education and development
  • Industry academia relationship
  • Internationalisation
  • Policy in higher education
  • Privatization and marketisation
  • Research excellence and global competitiveness
  • Sustainability
  • Teaching quality and learning outcomes
  • Technology integration or online higher education
  • Third mission of universities
  • Other topics of relevance to higher education in India

Important dates

  • Deadline for submitting proposals for special sessions: 16 March 2025 7th April 2025
  • Abstract submission opens: 14 April 2025
  • Deadline for abstract submission: 16 July 2025
  • Acceptance decision by: 21 August, 2025
  • Registration to open: 1 September, 2025
  • Deadline for full draft paper submission: 22 October 2025
  • Conference dates: 21-22 November, 2025

Keynote Speakers

Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao

Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani, India





Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, an eminent academician and researcher, is the Vice Chancellor of BITS Pilani, a leading technical institution in India. A pioneer in nanotechnology and microelectronics, he has authored over 400 research papers and holds multiple patents. Recognized with prestigious awards like the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize and the Infosys Prize, he is a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and IEEE. Prof. Rao is celebrated for his contributions to low-power semiconductor devices and his transformative leadership in higher education.

Prof. Fazal Rizvi

Professor, University of Melbourne, Australia





Prof. Fazal Rizvi is a globally renowned scholar in the fields of education policy, globalization, and international education. Currently a professor at the University of Melbourne, he has held prestigious academic positions, including at the University of Illinois and the University of Canberra. His research focuses on equity, identity, and the impact of globalization on education systems. A prolific author, Prof. Rizvi has co-authored influential works such as Globalizing Education Policy and has advised governments and international organizations on education reform. His distinguished career and thought leadership make him a key voice in shaping the future of global higher education.

Conference fees and registration

IHERC 2025 will be free for members for IHERN. Please use this link to become a member of IHERN. For non-members, there will be a registration fees (to be announced) for Indian and international participants.

Call for Papers

Download a PDF version of Call for Papers

Abstracts to the IHERC can be submitted in two categories. Authors will be required to submit a 1,000 word (extended) abstract, mapped to one of the themes of the conference. Upon acceptance, authors will be required to submit full papers, not exceeding 7,000 words, prior to the conference.

Category A: Academic research papers: Papers in this category will be based on rigorous research with a clear contribution to knowledge and potential for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Papers can be focused on higher education as a field of study or from other disciplines that examine higher education. Abstracts must be placed with respect to the current state of the field and the contribution must be clearly described. Abstracts need to highlight the conceptual or theoretical contributions, an explanation of the methodological approach and findings. Papers need not be based on Indian higher education, but need to demonstrate clear connections with the same in the abstract and the presentation.

This category of submissions is suited for academics, doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, researchers working on think-tanks/policy organisations and research staff working on higher education projects.

Category B: Research to practice papers: Papers in this category will based on strong empirical evidence about Indian higher education. These papers need not be immediately aimed at peer-reviewed journal publications, but need to demonstrate contribution to the collective understanding of Indian higher education policy and practice. Papers in this category will need to be empirically sound with clear evidence or pathways for influencing practice and policy. These will contribute to the conversation between researchers and practitioners on Indian higher education, and provide insights from practice around various aspects of Indian higher education.

This category of submissions are suited for researchers, higher education practitioners from universities, policy makers, consultants, and research professionals and practitioners in think tanks.

Call for special sessions at the IHERC

IHERC invites centre/institutes of higher education in various universities across the world to submit proposals to host a “special session” around a thematic area of their preference.

A special session will include (1) an invited speaker session by a recognized researcher in the field of higher education (2) three paper presentation submitted through the conference in any of the two categories, mentioned below. Each special session will be for 90 min.

Once the special session proposal are accepted, submitting authors to the conference will have an option to submit their papers to the special session (as of the themes). Special session organisers will need to Chair the sessions and review the papers submitted for their session.

Conference agenda

IHREC 2025 will be organised around multiple sessions in thematic areas. Each session will be of 90 min, and will be chaired by one of the session chairs. Each session will include a few accepted research paper presentations (from any of the two categories above) and one invited speaker session.

Besides paper presentations, IHERC will also host the following:

  • Keynote sessions: IHERC will host eminent researchers and practitioners in the field of higher education as invited speakers for keynote sessions.
  • Panel discussions: IHERC will host three panels, one each on research, policy and practice on Indian higher education. The panels will be open to attending all those who are participating in the conference.
  • Paper development workshops: All accepted papers will be eligible for participating in a paper development workshop (Detailed to be announced later).
Conference Manager and contact

To be updated soon. For now all queries for the conference can be sent to ihern@iiitd.ac.in

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