NIRF Ranking 2026: National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) by Ministry of Education is a methodology for ranking of academic institutions in India. Central govt. releases rankings for best university, engineering, management, pharmacy, college, medical, law, architecture, dental, research and overall category. Check the parameters, guidelines and complete list (top 100) at the official website at www.nirfindia.org.
NIRF India Rankings 2026 data submission has been completed and the final list is awaited on the official portal. The latest official list available now is India Rankings 2025, released by Ministry of Education. Institutions are ranked on parameters like teaching, learning and resources, research and professional practice, graduation outcomes, outreach and inclusivity, and perception.
NIRF Ranking List 2026 by Ministry of Education
National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) was approved by the MHRD (now Ministry of Education) and launched by Honourable Minister of Human Resource Development on 29th September 2015. This framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. The methodology draws from the overall recommendations and broad understanding arrived at by a Core Committee set up by MHRD, to identify the broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions. The parameters broadly cover teaching, learning and resources, research and professional practices, graduation outcomes, outreach and inclusivity, and perception.
Category Wise NIRF Rankings List - Direct Links
Here is the complete NIRF Rankings List (category wise) from the latest official India Rankings 2025.
- NIRF Overall Ranking 2025
- NIRF University Ranking 2025 (Top 100)
- NIRF Engineering Ranking 2025 (Top 100)
- NIRF MBA / Management Ranking 2025
- NIRF Pharmacy Ranking 2025
- NIRF College Ranking 2025
- NIRF Medical Ranking 2025
- NIRF Law Ranking 2025
- NIRF Architecture Ranking 2025
- NIRF Dental Ranking 2025
- NIRF Research Ranking 2025
India Rankings 2016 based on this framework were released on 4th April 2016. For India Rankings 2017, the main ranking parameters remained the same with a few changes in sub-parameters. Since then, Ministry of Education releases the India Rankings every year. The latest official list is India Rankings 2025, and the India Rankings 2026 list is expected to be released after the data verification process is complete. Details are in the ranking document available at NIRF Ranking Methodology and Metrics 2025.
Top Institutions in India Rankings 2025
In India Rankings 2025, Indian Institute of Technology Madras secured the first position in both Overall and Engineering categories. Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru stood second in the Overall category, followed by IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur. In the Law category, National Law School of India University Bengaluru topped the list, followed by National Law University Delhi and Nalsar University of Law Hyderabad.
NIRF All India Ranking Parameters
The ranking is given on the basis of 5 parameters namely teaching, learning and resources (TLR), research and professional practices (RP), graduation outcomes (GO), outreach and inclusivity (OI) and peer perception. These parameters are described in the table below.
| Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR) |
|---|
| Student Strength including Doctoral Students (SS) |
| Faculty-student ratio with emphasis on permanent faculty (FSR) |
| Combined metric for Faculty with PhD (or equivalent) and Experience (FQE) |
| Financial Resources and their Utilisation (FRU) |
| Research and Professional Practice (RP) |
| Combined metric for Publications (PU) |
| Combined metric for Quality of Publications (QP) |
| IPR and Patents: Published and Granted (IPR) |
| Footprint of Projects and Professional Practice (FPPP) |
| Graduation Outcomes (GO) |
| Metric for University Examinations (GUE) |
| Metric for Number of Ph.D. Students Graduated (GPHD) |
| Outreach and Inclusivity (OI) |
| Percentage of Students from Other States/Countries (Region Diversity RD) |
| Percentage of Women (Women Diversity WD) |
| Economically and Socially Challenged Students (ESCS) |
| Facilities for Physically Challenged Students (PCS) |
| Perception (PR) |
| Academic Peers and Employers (PR) |
Note: The parameters given at NIRF Documents page are for Overall category only. Check the respective discipline documents for other categories.
NIRF Highlights
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Scheme Name | National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) |
| Launched By | Ministry of Education (earlier MHRD) |
| Launch Date | 29 September 2015 |
| Latest Official List | India Rankings 2025 |
| Categories | Overall, University, Engineering, Management, Pharmacy, College, Medical, Law, Architecture, Dental, Research |
| Official Website | www.nirfindia.org |
NIRF Framework Methodology
NIRF framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. This ranking methodology is based on the overall recommendations and broad understanding arrived at by a Core Committee set up by MHRD. Check NIRF Ranking Methodology and Metrics to understand the broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions.
Discipline-wise methodology for India Rankings
NIRF releases separate rankings for different disciplines. The discipline-wise methodology for India Rankings 2025 is available on the official documents page. The main categories are given below.
- Overall: ranks all institutions together on the common framework.
- Engineering: ranks engineering and technology institutions.
- Management: ranks management and business schools.
- Pharmacy: ranks pharmacy institutions.
- Colleges: ranks affiliated and standalone colleges.
- Architecture: ranks architecture and planning institutions.
- Law: ranks law universities and colleges.
- Medical: ranks medical institutions.
- Dental: ranks dental institutions.
- Research: ranks research institutions.
For more details, all the candidates can visit the official website at www.nirfindia.org
FAQ's
What is NIRF?
National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a methodology approved by Ministry of Education to rank academic institutions in India on the basis of teaching, learning, research, graduation outcomes, outreach and perception.
Which ministry releases NIRF rankings?
NIRF rankings are released by Ministry of Education, Government of India. The framework was earlier handled by MHRD.
When was NIRF launched?
NIRF was launched on 29th September 2015. The first India Rankings based on this framework were released on 4th April 2016.
What are the parameters for NIRF ranking?
NIRF ranks institutions on 5 parameters: teaching, learning and resources (TLR), research and professional practices (RP), graduation outcomes (GO), outreach and inclusivity (OI) and peer perception.
Where can I check the NIRF ranking list?
The complete NIRF ranking list for all categories is available on the official website at www.nirfindia.org. The latest official list available is India Rankings 2025.
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