The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has maintained its top position in the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 for the sixth consecutive year. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru continues its streak as the best university for the ninth year in a row, according to the Ministry of Education.

Delhi University has risen from 11th to 6th place, while Hindu College has ended Miranda College’s seven-year reign as the top college in the ninth edition of the NIRF rankings, announced by Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday.

In the “overall” category, IIT Madras is followed by IISc Bengaluru in second place and IIT Bombay in third. IIT Delhi, which was in third place last year, has moved to fourth.

Eight IITs are among the top ten institutions, joined by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

In the university category, IISc Bengaluru is followed by JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia, all retaining their previous positions.

The top ten engineering colleges feature nine IITs, with IIT Madras leading for the ninth consecutive year. IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay hold their second and third positions, respectively. The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Tiruchirapalli is the only non-IIT in the top ten.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan emphasized that understanding the quality and performance of academic institutions is a fundamental right for students and parents. He suggested that all 58,000 higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country should be included in the ranking framework and that skilling should be a parameter. Pradhan also noted the importance of incorporating intangible aspects of education into the rankings.

Among management colleges, IIM Ahmedabad has retained its top spot for the fifth consecutive year, followed by IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode. Two IITs, Bombay and Delhi, are also in the top ten for management courses.

In pharmacy, Jamia Hamdard has moved to the top position, surpassing the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad, which is now second. BITS Pilani remains in third place.

In the colleges category, Hindu College has surpassed Miranda House for the top spot, with St Stephen’s College moving up to third from 14th place last year.

For law, the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, National Law University, Delhi, and NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, have retained their top three positions.

In architecture and planning, IIT Roorkee is ranked first, followed by IIT Kharagpur and NIT Calicut.

Among medical colleges, AIIMS, New Delhi, holds the top position, with PGIMER, Chandigarh, and CMC Vellore in second and third places, respectively.

For dental colleges, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, and Manipal College of Dental Sciences remain in the top two spots, with Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi, in third.

In research, IISc Bengaluru leads, followed by IIT Madras and IIT Delhi.

In the field of Agriculture and Allied Sectors, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, is ranked first, followed by ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Haryana, and Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.

The 2024 NIRF rankings continue to provide comprehensive “overall” rankings along with category-specific rankings for Universities, Research Institutions, Degree Colleges, Innovation, and various disciplines including Engineering, Management, Pharmacy, Law, Medical, Dental, Architecture and Planning, and Agriculture and Allied Sectors.

New verticals this year include open universities, state public universities, and skill universities. Among state public universities, Anna University in Chennai leads, followed by Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and Savitribai Phule University, Pune. IGNOU tops the list for open universities, with Netaji Subhash Open University, Kolkata, and Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, Ahmedabad, in second and third places, respectively. For skill universities, Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune, is first, followed by Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, Haryana, and Bhartiya Skill Development University, Rajasthan.

Participation in the NIRF rankings has grown from 3,565 institutions in 2016 to 10,845 in 2024, with categories expanding from four in 2016 to sixteen in 2024. The NIRF evaluates institutions based on five broad parameters: Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR), Research and Professional Practice (RP), Graduation Outcome (GO), Outreach and Inclusivity (O&I), and Perception (PR).

Also read: NIRF 2023 rankings: IIT Madras tops the list, IISc ranked #2