IIT Madras Tops NIRF Rankings For Sixth Consecutive Year, This DU Institute Claims Top College — Details

NIRF 2024: IIT Madras retained the top position in NIRF 2024 overall rankings for the sixth consecutive year. IITs and IISc Bengaluru dominated the top ranks across categories.

NIRF Rankings 2024: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has once again secured the top position in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 in the overall category, marking its sixth consecutive year of dominance, as per the Ministry of Education. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, retained its status in the best university category for the ninth consecutive year.

In a significant shift, Delhi University's Hindu College has ended Miranda House's seven-year reign as the best college, claiming the top spot in the latest rankings. Delhi University itself has seen an improvement, climbing from 11th to 6th place in the overall rankings.

NIRF Rankings 2024: Best Universities And Colleges Across Various Categories

Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan announced the ninth edition of the NIRF rankings on Monday, where IIT Madras was followed by IISc Bengaluru in second place, with IIT Bombay securing the third spot in the overall category. Notably, IIT Delhi, which was in third place last year, slipped to the fourth position. Eight IITs featured in the top ten, alongside the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

Among universities, IISc Bengaluru was followed by JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia, both of which maintained their previous rankings. In the engineering category, IIT Madras retained the top position for the ninth year in a row, with IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay holding on to their second and third positions, respectively. The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirappalli, was the only non-IIT to feature in the top ten engineering institutions.

For management institutions, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad retained its top spot for the fifth consecutive year, followed by IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode. Additionally, IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi made it to the top ten list for management courses.

In the pharmacy category, Jamia Hamdard rose to the top spot, displacing the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad, which dropped to second place. BITS Pilani retained its third position. Among law schools, the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, National Law University, Delhi, and NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, continued to hold the top three positions.

AIIMS, New Delhi, topped the medical colleges category, with PGIMER, Chandigarh, and CMC Vellore securing second and third places. In dental colleges, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, and Manipal College of Dental Sciences retained the top two positions, while Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi, ranked third.

IIT Roorkee was named the best institution for architecture and planning courses, followed by IIT Kharagpur and NIT Calicut. For research, IISc Bengaluru was declared the best, followed by IIT Madras and IIT Delhi. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, topped the rankings for Agriculture and Allied Sectors, with ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Haryana, and Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, following.

This year’s rankings introduced new categories, including state public universities, open universities, and skill universities. Anna University, Chennai, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and Savitribai Phule University, Pune, led the state public universities category. IGNOU topped the open universities list, and Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune, was named the best skill university.

The NIRF, launched in 2016, has expanded its ranking framework to cover 16 categories and domains in 2024, with participation growing from 3,565 institutions in 2016 to 10,845 in 2024.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan On NIRF Rankings

Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, unveiled the India Rankings 2024 in New Delhi today, reinforcing the importance of employability skills in the national ranking framework. 

Pradhan highlighted that the rankings, ratings, and accreditation are critical recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He expressed satisfaction that the NIRF rankings reflect the spirit of the NEP, which aims to improve educational standards in India. "Knowing the quality, performance, and strengths of an academic institution is a right of students and parents," Pradhan stated, emphasising that all 58,000 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in India should be included in the ranking and rating framework.

The Minister stressed the need to prioritise employability and skills within the ranking system, stating that the framework should also incorporate skilling as a parameter. He added that intangible aspects, which significantly contribute to learning and development, should be integrated into the rankings mechanism.

Addressing the audience, Pradhan urged leaders in Indian academia to participate in the ranking framework, set ambitious goals, and strive for higher rankings in future editions. "Together, let’s foster an environment of educational excellence to realise the goal of a developed India (Viksit Bharat)," he added.

NIRF Is Not Merely Ranking Exercise But Indicator For Institutional Change: UGC Chief

Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), congratulated the institutions and highlighted the importance of the NIRF rankings in fostering competition and continuous improvement. He noted, "The NIRF is not merely a ranking exercise but an indicator for institutional change. It encourages institutions to compare their performance with peers, identify strengths, and address areas of improvement."

Prof. Kumar also emphasised the inclusion of new categories in NIRF 2024, stating, "By incorporating Skill Universities in NIRF, we are emphasising the importance of skill development in the contemporary education ecosystem."

"Let us remember that the NIRF ranking is a signpost, not a destination. It is a continuous process of self-evaluation and growth. I am confident that the collective efforts of our higher education institutions will elevate the standards of education in India,” he emphasised.

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