Why Has XLRI's NIRF Rank Declined? What the NIRF Scores Reveal

NIRF Rankings 2026: XLRI Jamshedpur has dipped down from 8th rank (2022) to 9th rank (2023-2024) and then to 10th rank in the category of Management under NIRF. XLRI has maintained a good academic and placement record, but a drop in rank is due to the other factors of the NIRF ranking system. Under the NIRF ranking system, 60% of the total marks have been allocated for Research and Professional Practices (RPC) and Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR). It includes Scopus citations, patents filed, and the hard ratio of faculty members to students. 

Naturally, private institutes such as XLRI score lower in the category of Outreach and Inclusivity (OI), as it comprises state quota and government scholarship distribution. XLRI has performed better in Graduation Outcomes (GO) and Peer Perception (PR).

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NIRF Rankings 2026: XLRI's Rank Over The Years

Based on the reports of NIRF Management category, XLRI Jamshedpur (Xavier School of Management) has dropped in ranking in two different years between 2021 to 2025: 

Over the past 5 year the overall ranking of XLRI Jamshedpur has dropped by 2 ranks (from 8th in 2021 to 10th in 2025), as per the above table.

NIRF Rankings 2026: Parameter Wise Reason For The Drop

Below given are the parameters related to the drop in the XLRI Nirf Rankings over the years:

• Main Factors That Contributed to the Fall in the Ranking of 2024: The main reasons for the fall of XLRI rank in the 2024 ranking included reductions in Teaching, Learning & Resources (-2.06 points) and Outreach & Inclusivity (-3.35 points) along with fast-growing results of competing colleges.   

• Second Rank Fall (2024-2025): The rank fell from 9th to 10th position, but the overall score increased by 2.5 points taking the total to 70.63.  

• Less Teaching Resources: Academic factors contributed to the lower result of 2025 due to a reduction in Teaching, Learning & Resources (-0.57 points) along with Graduation Outcomes (-2.91 points).

• Research and Outperformance: The fall of rank in 2025 happened even though there was a positive increase in Research and Professional Practice score (from 39.79 to 50.83).

Which Institutes Took Over XLRI?

Below given are the institues which took over the XLRI rankings over the past years:

In 2023: Overtaken by NITIE Mumbai (now IIM Mumbai)

XLRI was ranked at position 8, and its position was 9 after losing its position to NITIE Mumbai (now IIM Mumbai). This was due to the increase in research publication volume and government funding that helped NITIE to jump to Position 7. In 2025, XLRI dropped further down to Position 10, after MDI Gurgaon surpassed it. This along with other factors made XLRI slip from Position 9 to Position 10. Given below is the breakdown:

Also Check: IIM Mumbai NIRF Rankings: Where Do Older IIMs Still Have an Edge

In 2025: Overtaken by MDI Gurugram

In 2025 XLRI dropped to 10th place from its 9th position after having been overtaken by MDI Gurugram. The ranking of MDI increased by two places to achieve the 9th rank due to improvement in various parameters in terms of Teaching and Research of NIRF. However, during the same period, XLRI witnessed a steep fall in PR (Peer and Employer Perception) and TLR (Teaching, Learning, and Resources). Below given is the breakdown:

Also Read: MDI Gurgaon NIRF Ranking : What Improved, Parameter-Wise Analysis from 2021 to 2025

Why IIM Mumbai (NITIE) Outranks XLRI in NIRF Rankings Over The Years

The reason why IIM Mumbai is higher ranked than XLRI Jamshedpur is that of some differences in the ranking methodology of NIRF. First, 30% weightage is allocated to Research and Professional Practice (RP), which suits IIM Mumbai perfectly well.

Firstly, XLRI is engaged with practitioner-oriented case studies. Second, IIM Mumbai receives nearly maximum scores for Graduation Outcomes (GO) owing to its high median salaries and specialisations of industrial engineering. Finally, change in name from NITIE to “IIM” led to a jump in Peer Perception (PR) from 19.03 to 62.

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