NIRF Ranking 2026: The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) introduced by the Ministry of Education, Government of India is the most important yearly assessment framework for ranking higher educational institutions in the country. The NIRF, started in order to encourage competition and assessment in an open manner, assesses the performance of participating universities, colleges, and domain-specific institutes according to a stringent data-driven approach.
Five unique core parameters are used to rank the institutions through the NIRF process, namely, Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR), Research and Professional Practice (RP), Graduation Outcomes (GO), Outreach and Inclusivity (OI) and Peer Perception (PR). The TLR parameter includes quality of faculty and infrastructure, while the RP assesses research publications and patents. The GO parameter assesses placement outcomes and advanced studies, while the OI focuses on regional, gender and socio-economic inclusiveness. Thus, NIRF offers very useful information on the performance of institutions across different categories such as overall, university, engineering, management, medical, law and college levels.
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NIRF Ranking 2026: Top 10 Universities in India
Below are the top universities in India as per the NIRD Rankings 2026:
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Rank
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Institute Name
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Category Score
|
|
1
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83.29
|
|
|
2
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69.80
|
|
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3
|
68.11
|
|
|
4
|
67.88
|
|
|
5
|
66.72
|
|
|
6
|
65.90
|
|
|
7
|
65.44
|
|
|
8
|
65.38
|
|
|
9
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65.20
|
|
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10
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64.91
|
NIRF Ranking 2026: Past Years’ Comparison
The following table presents the year-wise ranking of the leading institutions in the University Category in the NIRF Rankings for 2023, 2024, and 2025:
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Institution Name
|
NIRF 2023 Rank
|
NIRF 2024 Rank
|
NIRF 2025 Rank
|
|
Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI)
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
|
Banaras Hindu University (BHU)
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
|
University of Delhi (DU)
|
11
|
6
|
6
|
|
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
|
Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR)
|
12
|
8
|
8
|
|
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)
|
9
|
9
|
9
|
|
Jadavpur University
|
4
|
10
|
10
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NIRF Ranking 2026: Top Universities Detailed Scores
National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), an initiative by the Ministry of Education, ranks institutions of higher education in India through five basic parameters namely, Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR), Research and Professional Practice (RP), Graduation Outcomes (GO), Outreach and Inclusivity (OI), and Peer Perception (PR). The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) located in Bengaluru enjoys the coveted number one position in the category of Universities with outstanding marks in research productivity and faculty-student ratio.
Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
Top-ranking institution due to outstanding scores in research, faculty and industry reputation, making it India’s top science institute.
|
TLR (100)
|
RPC (100)
|
GO (100)
|
OI (100)
|
PERCEPTION (100)
|
|
86.47
|
88.16
|
83.69
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60.29
|
98.89
|
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Scores nearly perfect scores in graduation outcomes, signifying high-quality academic output and diverse student outreach despite average scores in research citations.
|
TLR (100)
|
RPC (100)
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GO (100)
|
OI (100)
|
PERCEPTION (100)
|
|
75.53
|
45.59
|
99.93
|
78.82
|
67.89
|
Manipal Academy of Higher Education-Manipal
Scores fairly well in both teaching and research scores, earning its place among India’s best private multidisciplinary universities.
|
TLR (100)
|
RPC (100)
|
GO (100)
|
OI (100)
|
PERCEPTION (100)
|
|
79.44
|
61.76
|
78.52
|
67.71
|
44.19
|
Jamia Millia Islamia
It excels in terms of graduation and outreach diversity, having good academic retention and enrollment as well as increasing national reputation.
|
TLR (100)
|
RPC (100)
|
GO (100)
|
OI (100)
|
PERCEPTION (100)
|
|
73.81
|
50.03
|
92.56
|
83.83
|
50.63
|
University of Delhi
It boasts of having excellent graduation figures in all its colleges and universities despite having a relatively low student to faculty ratio scores.
|
TLR (100)
|
RPC (100)
|
GO (100)
|
OI (100)
|
PERCEPTION (100)
|
|
60.65
|
58.51
|
96.94
|
70.15
|
52.38
|
Banaras Hindu University
It maintains its position as one of the leading public residential universities in India by combining graduation success and good teaching foundations.
|
TLR (100)
|
RPC (100)
|
GO (100)
|
OI (100)
|
PERCEPTION (100)
|
|
76.41
|
51.17
|
95.42
|
65.95
|
33.34
|
Birla Institute of Technology & Science - Pilani
Leading private technical institutes that have good research and teaching ratings due to good networking systems and placements in industries.
|
TLR (100)
|
RPC (100)
|
GO (100)
|
OI (100)
|
PERCEPTION (100)
|
|
72.16
|
63.27
|
77.74
|
61.42
|
49.19
|
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Demonstrates quality teaching and research output and retains a competitive advantage in the best private multidisciplinary research institutions of the country.
|
TLR (100)
|
RPC (100)
|
GO (100)
|
OI (100)
|
PERCEPTION (100)
|
|
76.85
|
51.06
|
81.91
|
71.42
|
51.47
|
Jadavpur University
Provides quality academic results and research contribution at lower costs compared to other institutions, making it the best-performing state-owned public university.
|
TLR (100)
|
RPC (100)
|
GO (100)
|
OI (100)
|
PERCEPTION (100)
|
|
71.61
|
52.19
|
87.82
|
52.34
|
54.87
|
Aligarh Muslim University
Has excellent graduation performance results and diverse student population, preserving its legacy of accessible higher education in India.
|
TLR (100)
|
RPC (100)
|
GO (100)
|
OI (100)
|
PERCEPTION (100)
|
|
71.50
|
48.04
|
93.79
|
64.58
|
42.74
|
NIRF Ranking 2026: Parameters Affecting The Rankings
Below are the parameters that affects the NIRF Ranking 2026:
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Parameter
|
Standard Weightage
|
Primary Focus
|
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Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR)
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30%
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Faculty strength, PhD qualifications, FRU spending
|
|
Research & Professional Practice (RP)
|
30%
|
Scopus/WoS publications, citations, patents, grants
|
|
Graduation Outcomes (GO)
|
20%
|
Placements, median packages, PhD completions
|
|
Outreach & Inclusivity (OI)
|
10%
|
Gender ratio, out-of-state students, disability support
|
|
Perception (PR)
|
10%
|
Academic peer & industry employer surveys
|
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