Optimal Ph D Student–Teacher Ratio for Indian Research Universities:A Production Function Approach

The notion of optimality pervades most domains of decision-making¹, including human development², resource allocation and optimality in human capital formation^3,4. Some studies have estimated optimal school size with the view to enhancing student learning outcomes⁵. There have also been studies on the optimal amount of financial aid that is offered to students⁶. The notion of optimality should also pervade the higher education sector, as it places demands on scarce public funds and therefore needs rational rules for allocation.