New Delhi

India’s efforts to modernise its education system under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 are expected to unlock a large-scale opportunity for the real estate sector, according to a new report by ANAROCK Capital.

Titled “The Academic Real Estate Supercycle”, the report estimates that meeting national education targets will require an additional 2.7 billion square feet of academic built-up space across the country.

This expansion is projected to consume nearly 30,000 acres of new campus land, signalling a major transformation in institutional land use patterns.

The report pegs the construction-led investment potential at around USD 100 billion, covering only academic infrastructure such as classrooms, laboratories and learning facilities. The estimate excludes land acquisition costs and student housing, which could significantly raise the overall investment value.

ANAROCK Capital noted that rising enrolments, favourable regulatory reforms and demographic growth are driving demand. With the government targeting a doubling of higher education enrolment by 2035, the need for quality academic infrastructure has become critical.

Calling it a rare global phenomenon, the report said the scale of India’s higher education expansion could make it the world’s largest higher-education build-out market.

The study also highlighted emerging trends such as university townships, integrated developments combining academic, residential and commercial spaces. Real estate developers are expected to play a central role in building these ecosystems and providing leased facilities for foreign universities entering India.

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According to the report, the shift positions academic real estate as a key growth engine for the property sector over the next decade.