The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 represents India's most comprehensive higher education reforms, targeting flexibility, inclusivity and skill development across Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This systematic literature review analysed 50 peer-reviewed sources from (2020 to 2025) following PRISMA guidelines to evaluate NEP 2020's implementation impact and challenges. Quantitative analysis revealed that 39 of the 50 reviewed studies reported positive outcome in Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) adoption, while 32/50 documented successful vocational integration initiatives. However, 41 of the 50 studies identified significant implementation barriers including infrastructural gaps, faculty readiness issues (38 issues) and regional disparities (35 studies). Multidisciplinary education programs showed 60% implementation success rate (i.e., 30/50), with research enhancement initiative achieving effectiveness in 22/50 across reviewed institutions. Critical challenges include inadequate funding (identified in 45/50 of studies), digital infrastructure gaps affecting 35/50 rural HEIs, and administrative resistance (reported in 28/50 cases). Conversely, best practices from 15 leading institutions demonstrated scalable models achieving 84% stakeholder satisfaction rates (i.e., in 42/50 cases). Out of 50 studies, all empirical studies ( n = 26) appraised with MMAT (2028) were rated as high quality score, reflects that strong methodological across included SLRs. The review establishes that successful NEP 2020 implementation requires: 1) increased funding allocation (minimum 6% GDP as recommended), 2) Comprehensive faculty development programs, 3) technology infrastructure investment and 4) strengthened industry-academia partnerships. These findings provide evidence-based recommendations for policy makers and institutional leaders to accelerate India's higher education transformation toward global competitiveness.
Sivaraman et al. (2026) studied this question.