IIT Madras Ranked Best Higher Education Institute in India for 7th Consecutive Year

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025 was released on September 4. As per the rankings, IIT Madras has once again secured the top position among all higher education institutions in India for the 7th consecutive year.

In the overall category, IISc Bengaluru ranked second and IIT Bombay secured the third position. Among the top 10 institutes overall, six are from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand — including IIT Delhi (4th), IIT Kanpur (5th), IIT Roorkee (7th), AIIMS Delhi (8th), JNU (9th), and Banaras Hindu University (10th).

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced the NIRF India Rankings 2025. This year, rankings were published across 17 categories, with a new category introduced: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Participation Statistics

A total of 14,163 institutions participated in the rankings:

• South India: 5,268 institutions
• West India: 4,702 institutions
• North India: 2,304 institutions
• East India: 1,889 institutions

The minister encouraged further participation and set a goal of reaching 15,000 institutions by next year.

Purpose of NIRF Rankings

The objective is to help students make informed decisions during admissions and to foster a competitive atmosphere among institutions.

Ranking Categories (17 Total)

• Overall
• University
• College
• Research Institutions
• Innovation
• State Universities
• Open Universities
• Skill Universities
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
• Engineering
• Management
• Pharmacy
• Law
• Medical
• Dental
• Architecture & Planning
• Agriculture & Allied Sectors

Ranking Criteria

Rankings were based on: student-teacher ratio, number of PhD faculty, financial management, NEP implementation, online education, research papers and patents, placement statistics, diversity & inclusion (e.g. women, differently-abled, underprivileged), and public perception.

Top Institutes in Key Categories

Overall Category

1. IIT Madras
2. IISc Bengaluru
3. IIT Bombay
4. IIT Delhi
5. IIT Kanpur
6. IIT Kharagpur
7. IIT Roorkee
8. AIIMS Delhi
9. JNU
10. Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

University Category

1. IISc Bengaluru
2. JNU
3. Manipal Academy of Higher Education
4. Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
5. Delhi University
6. BHU Varanasi
7. Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani
8. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore
9. Jadavpur University, Kolkata
10. Aligarh Muslim University

Engineering Category

1. IIT Madras
2. IIT Delhi
3. IIT Bombay
4. IIT Kanpur
5. IIT Kharagpur
6. IIT Roorkee
7. IIT Hyderabad
8. IIT Guwahati
9. NIT Tiruchirappalli
10. IIT BHU Varanasi

College Category

1. Hindu College, Delhi
2. Miranda House, Delhi
3. Hansraj College, Delhi
4. St. Stephen's College, Delhi
5. Ramakrishna Mission College, Kolkata
6. Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Delhi
7. St. Xavier's College, Kolkata
8. PSGR Krishnammal Women's College, Coimbatore
9. PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore

Management Category

1. IIM Ahmedabad
2. IIM Bengaluru
3. IIM Kozhikode
4. IIT Delhi
5. IIM Lucknow

Open University Category

1. IGNOU, Delhi
2. Karnataka State Open University, Mysuru
3. UP Rajarshi Tandon Open University, Prayagraj

SDG-Based Institutions

1. IIT Madras
2. Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi
3. Jamia Millia Islamia