NTA Earns Rs 3,513.98 Crore Since Establishment, Spends 87.2% On Exams: Education Ministry

Since 2018, the National Testing Agency has earned Rs 3,513.98 crore, spending 87.2% on exams.

Earnings of NTA surged by 78%, from Rs 490.35 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 873.20 crore in 2022-23, after introduction of CUET.

Source : NTA

Since its establishment in 2018, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has earned a total of Rs 3,513.98 crore, with 87.2% of that amounting to Rs 3,064.77 crore, being spent on conducting examinations, Education Ministry informed Parliament on Wednesday. The NTA's earnings saw a substantial increase of 78%, rising from ₹490.35 crore in 2021-22 to ₹873.20 crore in 2022-23, largely due to the introduction of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET).

In response to questions from Rajya Sabha Congress MP Vivek K. Tankha of Madhya Pradesh, Minister of State for Education, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, said that NTA is self-supporting through the examination fee collected.

In its first year (2018-19), the NTA generated Rs 101.51 crores through application fees, despite incurring a higher expenditure of Rs 118.43 crores. By 2023-24, the NTA's fee income surged to an estimated Rs 1065.38 crores, with expenditures closely trailing at Rs 1020.35 crores. 

Financial Year	Fee Income (Rs in Crores)	Total Expenditure (Rs in Crores)
2018-19	101.51	118.43
2019-20	488.08	390.01
2020-21	494.46	427.94
2021-22	490.35	426.52
2022-23	873.20	681.52
2023-24	1065.38*	1020.35*
Total	3,513.98	3,064.77

"To ensure the integrity and smooth conduct of examinations, the NTA has strategically outsourced several operational aspects to specialized private agencies. These agencies handle critical tasks such as biometric capturing, frisking, CCTV surveillance, and AI analytics to prevent impersonation and enhance security," Dr. Sukanta Majumdar said.

The NTA's organisational structure is a blend of deputed, contractual, and outsourced employees. As of now, the agency operates with:

- 22 employees on deputation

- 39 contractual employees

- 132 outsourced staff

Among the deputed employees, women constitute 17.3%, while 13% belong to the Scheduled Castes (SC) category. This diverse workforce is pivotal in driving the NTA's mission of conducting fair and transparent examinations.

The NTA has conducted over 240 examinations for more than 5.4 crore candidates in six years.

Notably, the NTA conducts the three largest college entrance examinations in India: the Common University Entrance Test for Undergraduates (CUET-UG), the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET UG) for medical admissions, and the Joint Entrance Examination Main (JEE Main) for engineering