Engineering NIRF Ranking 2025

Engineering by NIRF Ranking 2025

The NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) 2025 for Engineering is one of the most awaited benchmarks in India’s higher education landscape. Released annually by the Ministry of Education, the NIRF Rank evaluates engineering institutes across the country on parameters like teaching quality, research output, graduation outcomes, outreach, and perception.

For students, parents, and recruiters alike, the NIRF ranking serves as a trusted guide in assessing the performance and credibility of various engineering institutions in a highly competitive academic environment. With the 2025 edition released on 4th September, the spotlight is once again on how India’s premier engineering colleges—both IITs and non-IITs—stack up against each other in shaping the next generation of engineers. Hence, students can check the NIRF Ranking for 2025 under the engineering categories in the official website for the complete list.

NIRF Ranked Top Engineering Colleges in 2025

The Engineering Rankings have once again showcased IIT supremacy, with IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, and IIT Bombay leading the pack. The IITs filled most of the top slots, but other institutions also stood out. NIT Tiruchirappalli emerged as the best-performing non-IIT at Rank 9, while BITS Pilani continued its run as India’s highest-ranked private engineering institute. Meanwhile, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), and Anna University underlined Tamil Nadu’s dominance in technical education through strong performances in the top 20.

The following table provides information on the top 20 institutes that has secured the top positions under the Engineering category by NIRF in 2025.

NIRF Ranking Parameters (2025)

The NIRF tends to rank Indian higher educational institutions by using a comprehensive methodology based on five major parameters. Each of them comprises of several sub-parameters and weightages that ensures a holistic evaluation of institutional performance.

1. Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR)

This parameter evaluates the quality and availability of academic resources, infrastructure, and faculty. Key sub-parameters include the following listed below:

• Student strength (including doctoral students) to assess diversity and academic depth.
• Faculty-student ratio, emphasizing permanent, PhD-qualified faculty for optimal teaching standards.
• Combined metric for faculty qualification, experience, and percentage with doctoral degrees.
• Financial resources and their utilization, including expenditure on academic facilities, laboratories, and operational costs per student.

2. Research and Professional Practice (RP)

This measures an institution’s research output, innovation, and patents. The sub-parameters for this category are as follows:

• Publication quantity and quality verified by citation impact and international benchmarks.
• Research grants, collaborative projects, patents filed/granted, and published work with emphasis on high-impact and peer-reviewed journals.
• For 2025, negative scoring is introduced for research paper retractions to discourage poor research practices.

3. Graduation Outcomes (GO)

This parameter reviews how well students perform academically and professionally after graduation. Some of the factors are listed below.

• Graduation rates, placement records, and further studies.
• Median salary, entrepreneurship, professional achievements, and exam success rates (e.g. GATE, NET).

4. Outreach and Inclusivity (OI)

• Measures social diversity, inclusiveness, and the accessibility of the institution to underrepresented groups.
• Proportion of students from different backgrounds, genders, economic groups, and geographies.
• Scholarship/fellowship distribution, supports for physically challenged students, and regional/language diversity.

5. Perception (PR)

• Assesses stakeholder (peer, employer, academic) perceptions of the institution's reputation and credibility.
• Conducted via surveys among academics, recruiters, professionals, and general public.
• Captures trust, visibility, and image within the academic and professional community.

New Parameter Introduced in 2025: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

For the first time, NIRF has included Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) related practices, that measures social and environmental responsibility, and implementation of sustainability-linked curricular or infrastructure initiatives.

Together, all these parameters provide a multidimensional ranking for institutions, helping students and stakeholders make informed decisions about higher education quality and impact.

Engineering Exams Considered by NIRF

NIRF Rankings for engineering colleges considers the performance of students in specific national-level engineering entrance exams, primarily focusing on those that serve as gateways to top Indian institutions.

• JEE Main: Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), this exam serves as the qualifying test for admission to National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and other centrally funded technical institutions.
• JEE Advanced: Organized by the IITs, this exam is essential for admission to various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
• State-level Entrance Exams: NIRF considers prominent state engineering entrance examinations relevant for admissions to state universities and colleges, such as TS EAMCET (Telangana), KEAM (Kerala), and others.
• Other National Exams: Some institutions may use exams like GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) for M. Tech/M.E. admissions. However, for undergraduate engineering rankings, JEE Main and Advanced are most critical.

What are the Importance of Entrance Exams in NIRF Ranking?

The entrance exams play a vital role in the "Graduation Outcomes" parameter, reflecting student selectivity, success rates, and competitive quality at the time of admission. Institutions admitting students with high entrance exam scores demonstrate greater academic rigor, impacting their overall NIRF score.

NIRF references these engineering exams to gauge the academic standard and competitive merit of the incoming student body at various institutions.