Best Dental Colleges in India 2026: Pursuing a Career in Dentistry provides exceptional opportunities for aspiring medical professionals in India. With increasing awareness of oral health and advancements in dental technology, securing admission to a top dental college is the first step. Admission to prestigious Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) programmes primarily relies on competitive NEET exam scores. To help students make informed decisions, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and the Ministry of Education evaluate institutions based on academic excellence, infrastructure, and research output. The articles below provide the top-ranked dental colleges in India for 2026, highlighting key details on eligibility, fee structures, and promising career prospects.
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Top NIRF 2026 Colleges in India: Overall Rankings, Private and Government Colleges List
Top 10 Dental Colleges with their Rankings and Scores according to NIRF 2025
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi is ranked number 1 by NIRF 2025 with the NIRF score of 89.12, which is followed by Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, ranking 2nd with the NIRF score of 85.31, and Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS) in 3rd with the NIRF score of 72.55. These colleges are the top 3 colleges offering dental programmes all over India. Check at the table given below to know about the top 10 colleges ranked by NIRF 2025 and their NIRF scores.
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College Name
|
NIRF Ranking
|
NIRF Scores
|
|
1
|
89.12
|
|
|
2
|
85.31
|
|
|
3
|
72.55
|
|
|
4
|
72.36
|
|
|
5
|
70.58
|
|
|
6
|
69
|
|
|
7
|
68.89
|
|
|
8
|
68.19
|
|
|
9
|
63.12
|
|
|
10
|
62.59
|
Top Dental Colleges in India 2026: Fees & Location
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS) are the top two colleges in India offering dental courses with lower fees. The table given below provides information about the top dental colleges ranked by NIRF 2025 with their fees and locations.
|
Colleges
|
Fees
|
Location
|
|
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
|
INR 7,577
|
New Delhi
|
|
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences
|
INR 45,505,000
|
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
|
|
Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS)
|
INR 17,000
|
New Delhi
|
|
Dr D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth
|
INR 3,250,000
|
Pune, Maharashtra
|
|
Manipal College of Dental Sciences
|
INR 2,210,000
|
Manipal, Karnataka
|
|
A.B. Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences
|
INR 24,35,000
|
Mangaluru, Karnataka
|
|
King George's Medical University (KGMU)
|
INR 120,000
|
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
|
|
SRM Dental College
|
INR 2,200,000
|
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
|
|
Siksha 'O' Anusandhan
|
INR 3,793,000
|
Bhubaneswar, Odisha
|
|
JSS Dental College and Hospital
|
INR 2,204,000
|
Mysuru, Karnataka
|
Dental Colleges Ranked by NIRF 2025 with Highest Placements
AIIMS has recorded the highest placement of around INR 20 LPA, followed by Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences with the highest placement of around INR 4.10 LPA and Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS) with INR 14.75 LPA. To know more about top dental colleges with their highest placements, look at the table provided below.
|
Colleges
|
Highest Placements
|
|
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
|
INR 20 LPA
|
|
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences
|
INR 4.10 LPA
|
|
Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS)
|
INR 14.75 LPA
|
|
Dr D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth
|
INR 6.90 LPA
|
|
Manipal College of Dental Sciences
|
INR 4.20 LPA
|
|
A.B. Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences
|
INR 3 LPA
|
|
King George's Medical University (KGMU)
|
INR 9 LPA
|
|
SRM Dental College
|
INR 3.12 LPA
|
|
Siksha 'O' Anusandhan
|
INR 5.40 LPA
|
|
JSS Dental College and Hospital
|
INR 6 LPA
|
Admission Process for Top Dental Colleges in India 2026-2027
Students who want to apply to the best colleges in India offering dental programmes should fulfil the admission criteria to get admission in 2026-2027
- Students need to go to the NEET exam portal and fill out the form.
- After filling out the form, students must appear for the exam to get admission to dental colleges.
- Students need a high score in the NEET Exam for further counselling.
- Seats are filled through a centralised Counselling process by MCC (Medical Counselling Process) and State Counselling Authorities.
- After counselling, students need to send their college preferences
- After this, seats will be allotted, and student need to submit their required documents.
Documents Required by Colleges during Admission
Before applying for the counselling process, candidates need have all the documents as listed below
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NEET Scorecard
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Admit Card
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Class 10th Marksheet
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Class 12th Marksheet
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ID Proof
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Category certificates
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Passport-size photos
Various parameters that NIRF looks into before Ranking Colleges
It is important for students to check the NIRF ranking of dental colleges before taking admission. NIRF looks at various parameters before ranking any colleges, such as Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR), which carries a weightage of 30% . The table given below shows various parameters NIRF considers before ranking colleges.
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Parameters
|
Weightage
|
|
Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR)
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30%
|
|
Research and Professional Practice (RP)
|
30%
|
|
Graduation Outcomes (GO)
|
20%
|
|
Outreach and Inclusivity (OI)
|
10%
|
|
Perception (PR)
|
10%
|
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