The Ministry of Education released the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025 list, marking a decade of India’s effort to benchmark higher education institutions across categories. The rankings once again spotlighted the dominance of IITs and IISc, while also signaling the growing strength of private and young institutes.
For the tenth consecutive year, IIT Madras claimed the top spot in both Overall and Engineering categories, cementing its reputation as India’s premier hub of technology and innovation. IISc Bengaluru continued its unbroken streak as the No. 1 university, known globally for research excellence. In a historic first, a private university—Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Karnataka—entered the top three universities, showing the rising role of private players in higher education.
The management category brought surprises. IIM Nagpur leapt to the 25th rank, entering the elite club of top 25 management schools within a decade of its establishment. IIM Sambalpur made one of the sharpest jumps, climbing to 34th place. These performances underline the growing relevance of new-generation IIMs in India’s B-school ecosystem.
At the state level, Tamil Nadu emerged as the clear leader, with 33 colleges in the Top 100, edging out Delhi with 32. This reflects the state’s strong higher education network spanning engineering, medical, and arts colleges. In contrast, Maharashtra’s tally remained unchanged at 11, raising questions about stagnation in its higher education progress.
Among state universities, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology (GJUST), Hisar, earned distinction as Haryana’s No. 1 public university, ranked 32nd nationally and securing strong positions in pharmacy, management, and engineering categories.
The NIRF 2025 rankings, spanning engineering, management, medicine, law, pharmacy, and overall categories, show a blend of continuity and disruption: while old giants like IIT Madras and IISc hold their ground, new institutions are breaking into elite spaces, setting the stage for a more diverse higher education landscape in India.
