Assessing sustainable development goal integration in Indian higher education curriculum using a five key concepts framework

Despite growing policy attention to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in higher education, their integration into university curricula remains inconsistent and fragmented, with environmental education receiving substantially greater attention than broader dimensions such as health and well-being, social inclusion, governance, and climate action. The present study explores the integration of the SDGs into the curricula of higher education institutions (HEIs) in India. A mixed methods approach is employed, combining bibliometric analysis of the Scopus database (2014–2025) with a curriculum assessment framework comprising five key concepts (KCs)—(KC1) environmental education, (KC2) health and well-being, (KC3) inclusive and equitable society, (KC4) peace, justice, and governance, and (KC5) climate action and disaster management—to systematically evaluate SDG integration patterns across central, state, technical, and private universities in India. The findings of the study indicate that the SDGs are being adopted in a fragmented yet complementary manner across categories of higher education institutions. Significantly, KC1 is predominant, with 65–90% of institutions mandating it, largely due to regulatory requirements. The KC3 and KC4 components are present, albeit selectively integrated. Based on these complementary strengths and gaps as mentioned, the study proposes a Sustainability Excellence Model that emphasises collaborative pathways to support more systematic and transversal SDG integration across Indian higher education.