Paper Title
Understanding College Student’s Perceptions of Excellence in Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract
The purpose of this research study was to understand the undergraduate students’ perceptions of excellence in higher education. The research was designed as a qualitative phenomenological study. The sample selected was 15 students from the different higher education institutes across greater Mumbai. The participants of the study were selected using non-probability sampling method. Based on the criterion that the participants are in the final year of their degree course, students from science, commerce and arts streams participated in this research study. The 15 in-depth individual interviews were conducted using an open-ended semi-structured questionnaire. The four aspects of quality in higher education on which the research study was focused upon were, namely, relevance of curriculum, appropriateness of student-faculty ratio, availability of infrastructure and other basic amenities and research and innovation. The research findings indicate that the quality of teaching and learning can be promoted by putting more emphasis on practical knowledge, innovation and research and including those subjects in the curriculum which have scope in national and international market. The students also highlighted the need for redesigning the higher education framework to keep students interested and motivated. In the present paper the attempt has been made to figure out the existing lacune in the present higher education system and also to bring into the light the suggestive measures to overcome these lacunae for leading towards excellence in higher education. Keywords - Excellence, Higher Education, Innovation, Framework