NIRF Ranking 2025

The NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) rankings for 2025 have been released on 4th September 2025, marking the 10th edition in India’s higher education. The NIRF rankings is known to be the most trusted organization when it comes to assess the quality of higher education across the country. The NIRF rankings 2025 have covered a total of 16 categories along with some new parameters for this assessment. The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras) have successfully claimed the top position for the tenth time in “engineering category” and “overall category” for 7 consecutive years.

The NIRF ranking system is an annual initiative by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, established in 2015 to rank higher education institutions based on comprehensive parameters. Its methodology evaluates universities and colleges across various domains such as teaching, research, graduation outcomes, inclusivity, and perception, that helps in guiding students and parents in their educational choices.

Changes Made in NIRF Ranking 2025

• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):A new kind of addition have been made by NIRF in 2025, which is a new ranking category dedicated to SDGs. This fresh category focuses on Sustainable Development Goals, recognizing institutions working toward sustainability and global impact.

• Negative Marking for Retracted Publications:The NIRF rankings will now apply minor negative scores for retracted research articles, promoting rigorous academic standards and ethical research practices.

• Expanded Categories:Institutions are ranked across 17 categories, including overall, Engineering, Management, Medicine, Law, Dental, Architecture and Planning, Agriculture and Allied Sectors, innovation, open and skill universities, and other such categories.

NIRF Assessment Criteria

NIRF assigns scores under five main parameters that are listed below.

• Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR)
• Research and Professional Practice (RPC)
• Graduation Outcomes (GO)
• Outreach and Inclusivity (OI)
• Perception (PR)

Each participating institution submits detailed data, which is validated and, in some cases, subjected to stakeholder feedback for transparency and accuracy.

Top Institutions in NIRF Ranking 2025

Overall Category: In the Overall Rankings, the top positions continue to be dominated by technical and research-heavy institutions. IIT Madras have retained its crown once again, followed by IISc Bengaluru and IIT Bombay, showcasing the country’s consistent reliance on engineering and science hubs for cutting-edge education and research. Interestingly, AIIMS Delhi have made its entry into the top ten overall category at Rank 8, highlighting the national recognition of medical sciences alongside engineering. Non-technical universities such as JNU, BHU, and the University of Delhi also made their strong appearances, reinforcing their roles as leaders in the social sciences and liberal arts.

The following table provides information on the top 20 Universities/Colleges that have secured the top positions under the overall category by NIRF in 2025.

Engineering Category: 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 have secured the top positions under the Engineering category by NIRF in 2025.

Medical Category: In the Medical Category, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi remained untouchable at the top, followed by PGIMER Chandigarh and Christian Medical College, Vellore. Institutions such as JIPMER Puducherry and NIMHANS Bengaluru emphaveized specialization in key areas such as postgraduate training and mental health sciences. Private universities have also secured their place, with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and Kasturba Medical College, Manipal demonstrating that quality medical education is no longer confined to government institutions alone.

The following table provides information on the top 20 Medical colleges that have secured the top positions by NIRF in 2025.

Architecture Category: For Architecture and Planning, IIT Roorkee led with distinction, reaffirming its historic legacy in the field. It was followed by NIT Calicut and IIT Kharagpur, both of which have emerged as strong centers for design and planning education. Specialized institutions such as CEPT University, Ahmedabad, and the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, have also ranked top ranks, indicating the sector’s reliance on a mix of multidisciplinary IITs and dedicated architecture schools.

The following table provides information on the top 20 Architectural colleges that have secured the top positions by NIRF in 2025.

Dental Category: The Dental Rankings were once again dominated by AIIMS Delhi in NIRF 2025 rankings, extending its excellence beyond medicine into dental sciences. Among private universities, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, secured the second spot, showing its growing influence in healthcare education. Traditional leaders such as Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Delhi, and Manipal College of Dental Sciences have retained strong positions, alongside well-established state institutions like King George’s Medical University, Lucknow.

The following table provides information on the top 20 Dental colleges that have secured the top positions by NIRF in 2025.

Law Category: In the Law Category, there are three institutes — NLSIU Bengaluru, NLU Delhi, and NALSAR Hyderabad — have secured the top ranks, confirming their dominance over India’s legal education landscape. WBNUJS Kolkata and GNLU Gandhinagar completed the top five position, ensuring that all four regions of India were represented at the highest level. Notably, IIT Kharagpur have ranked sixth, underlining the multidisciplinary reach of IITs into legal studies. Meanwhile, private law schools such as Symbiosis Law School, Pune, and Saveetha Institute, Chennai, showcased the growing competitiveness of non-government institutions in the legal domain.

The following table provides information on the top 20 Law colleges that have secured the top positions by NIRF in 2025.

State-Wise Insights

• Tamil Nadu continues to top the list with 17 institutions in the Top 100, reflecting its strong ecosystem of IITs, NITs, medical, and private universities.
• Delhi also continues to punch above its size with premier universities such as – JNU, Jamia, DU, AIIMS, NLU.
• Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have shown strong diversity, with representation across Technical, Medical, and Law colleges.
• States such as – Odisha, Punjab, and Assam have started emerging as important education hubs with NIT, KIIT, and state universities making consistent appearances.

Comparative Trends of NIRF Rankings – 2024 vs. 2025

• IIT Madras continues to dominate both the Overall and Engineering categories for the 10th consecutive year, strengthening its position as India’s premier technical hub.
• AIIMS Delhi holds its top rank in Medical and Dental, reaffirming its position as the nation’s best healthcare education institute.
• JNU, Jamia, DU, AIIMS, NLU maintained their strong performance in social sciences and general studies.
• Private Institutions like BITS Pilani, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, VIT, and Saveetha Institute have consolidated their presence in the top 20 lists, proving their competitiveness against central and state universities.
• Compared to 2024, NIT Trichy, SRM, and VIT climbed in engineering ranks, while some IITs saw marginal dips due to tighter evaluation standards.

Why NIRF Ranking Matters to Students?

• Credibility:NIRF ranking is considered to be the most authentic benchmarks for Indian higher education.
• Informed Choices:The transparent scoring provided by NIRF ranking offer students and parents with clear reference points for choosing institutions.
• Global Recognition: International collaborations and rankings often use NIRF data to assess Indian institutions.
• Focus on Quality:With new emphaveis on sustainability and responsible research, the NIRF ranking reflects evolving priorities in global higher education.

Challenges and Criticism

While NIRF ranking and its framework have gained wide acceptance, some concerns still remain some of which are listed below.

• Overemphaveis on research publications may disadvantage teaching-focused universities.
• Regional imbalance still persists, with southern and metro states dominating rankings.
• Private colleges often highlight lack of equal weightage for industry collaboration and innovation.

What’s Next?

The NIRF framework is evolving rapidly. By adding sustainability, ethics, and innovation, it have broadened its scope beyond academic output. The introduction of SDG-focused rankings and stricter research quality checks in NIRF 2025 underscores the growing importance of responsible, impactful education. The framework under NIRF ranking continues to evolve, setting higher standards for Indian institutions and helping academic aspirants identify centers of excellence for their higher studies.  In the coming years, we may see:

• Greater focus on globalization of Indian institutions.
• Inclusion of digital education and online learning quality as a parameter.
• More weightage for industry linkages and employability outcomes.

For aspiring students, the NIRF Rankings 2025 offers a powerful roadmap to India’s best educational opportunities, fostering smarter, more future-ready choices in the competitive academic world.