Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have ranked among the top states in the disbursal of education loans by public sector banks (PSBs) over the last three financial years between 2022-23 to 2024-25, according to data presented in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
The figures, provided by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in a written reply to a question by MP Neeraj Shekhar, show that between FY 2022-23 and 2024-25 (provisional), PSBs sanctioned a total of Rs 11,426.47 crore in Maharashtra, Rs 8,937.78 crore in Kerala, Rs 8,101.06 crore in Andhra Pradesh, and Rs 7,198.63 crore in Tamil Nadu.
At the other end of the spectrum, states and UTs like Lakshadweep (Rs 0.17 crore), Mizoram (Rs 9.93 crore), Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 10.40 crore) and Nagaland (Rs 19.76 crore) recorded the lowest education loan disbursals.
States by disbursal (FY 2022–23 to 2024–25)
| Sl No | State/UT | Amount Disbursed (Rs Crore) |
| 1 | Maharashtra | 11426.47 |
| 2 | Kerala | 8937.78 |
| 3 | Andhra Pradesh | 8101.06 |
| 4 | Tamil Nadu | 7198.63 |
| 5 | Telangana | 6178.6 |
| 6 | Karnataka | 5721.19 |
| 7 | Uttar Pradesh | 3461.08 |
| 8 | West Bengal | 3156.16 |
| 9 | Ladakh | 2784.27 |
| 10 | Gujarat | 2315.07 |
| 11 | Haryana | 2306.13 |
| 12 | Madhya Pradesh | 2267.88 |
| 13 | Rajasthan | 1990.38 |
| 14 | Punjab | 1677.69 |
| 15 | Delhi | 1477.21 |
| 16 | Odisha | 1303.35 |
| 17 | Uttarakhand | 1261.53 |
| 18 | Bihar | 1201.35 |
| 19 | Jharkhand | 1006.64 |
| 20 | Goa | 863.51 |
| 21 | Himachal Pradesh | 842.22 |
| 22 | Chhattisgarh | 611.03 |
| 23 | Assam | 499.74 |
| 24 | Jammu and Kashmir | 265.88 |
| 25 | Chandigarh | 224.26 |
| 26 | Puducherry | 185.48 |
| 27 | Meghalaya | 163.52 |
| 28 | Tripura | 82.21 |
| 29 | Manipur | 47.59 |
| 30 | Sikkim | 40.95 |
| 31 | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | 29.48 |
| 32 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 19.78 |
| 33 | Nagaland | 19.76 |
| 34 | Arunachal Pradesh | 10.4 |
| 35 | Mizoram | 9.93 |
| 36 | Lakshadweep | 0.17 |
Bank-wise lending leaders
Among PSBs, the State Bank of India (SBI) is the largest lender, disbursing Rs 32,311.02 crore in student loans over the three-year period. It was followed by Union Bank of India (Rs 14,558.77 crore), Bank of Baroda (Rs 8,468.53 crore), Canara Bank (Rs 7,094.19 crore) and Punjab National Bank (Rs 5,004.71 crore).
Other notable contributors include Indian Bank (Rs 2,974.78 crore), Bank of India (Rs 1,952.94 crore), and Central Bank of India (Rs 1,277.27 crore). Punjab and Sind Bank disbursed the least among PSBs, at Rs 542.42 crore.
| Bank | Amount Disbursed (₹ Crore) |
| State Bank of India | 32311.02 |
| Union Bank of India | 14558.77 |
| Bank of Baroda | 8468.53 |
| Canara Bank | 7094.19 |
| Punjab National Bank | 5004.71 |
| Indian Bank | 2974.78 |
| Bank of Maharashtra | 1956.06 |
| Bank of India | 1952.94 |
| Central Bank of India | 1277.27 |
| Indian Overseas Bank | 960.44 |
| UCO Bank | 587.28 |
| Punjab and Sind Bank | 542.42 |
Repayment and NPAs
The RBI data also shed light on repayment stress. While aggregate gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) in the education loan segment have declined for several banks, they remain significant for certain lenders.
SBI, despite being the largest lender, maintained relatively stable GNPAs at Rs 372 crore (2023), Rs 382 crore (2024), and Rs 336 crore (2025). The data for March 2025 is provisional.
| Bank | GNPA March 31, 2023 (Rs Crore) |
GNPA March 31, 2024 (Rs Crore) |
GNPA March 31, 2025 (Rs Crore) |
| State Bank of India | 372 | 382 | 336 |
| Union Bank of India | 637 | 644 | 336 |
| Bank of Baroda | 63 | 98 | 121 |
| Canara Bank | 843 | 789 | 322 |
| Punjab National Bank | 893 | 733 | 431 |
| Indian Bank | 919 | 579 | 277 |
| Bank of Maharashtra | 17 | 9 | 3 |
| Bank of India | 291 | 273 | 233 |
| Central Bank of India | 358 | 124 | 129 |
| Indian Overseas Bank | 944 | 343 | 123 |
| UCO Bank | 97 | 28 | 21 |
| Punjab and Sind Bank | 13 | 12 | 5 |
The government stated that state-wise GNPA data is not maintained by the RBI.
The data points to a concentrated demand for education loans in southern states, mostly driven by high enrolment in professional courses and overseas education. The decline in NPA levels for several banks suggests improved repayment performance, though the absolute amounts remain substantial.
