The Ministry of Education released the 10th edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), spotlighting India’s top-performing educational institutions across 17 categories.
Once again, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has emerged as the undisputed leader, securing the top position in the overall, engineering, innovation, and newly introduced Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) categories.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru retained its dominance in the universities category, while AIIMS New Delhi led the medical rankings. In the law domain, National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bengaluru claimed the top spot. Among colleges, Hindu College and Miranda House continued their rivalry, with Hindu College maintaining its lead.
This year’s rankings evaluated over 7,600 institutions, a significant leap from the 2,426 in the inaugural edition. The framework assessed institutions based on teaching, learning resources, research output, graduation outcomes, inclusivity, and peer perception. A notable change in 2025 was the introduction of negative marking for retracted research papers, emphasizing academic integrity.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alongside other dignitaries, unveiled the rankings at Bharat Mandapam, celebrating excellence and innovation in Indian higher education.
