The Ministry of Education, MoE, releases the National Institutional Ranking Framework, NIRF rankings, every year for the colleges and universities in India. There has been a considerable increase in the participation of institutes since the launch in 2015. Earlier, the number of higher education institutes ranked through this framework was small but has grown exponentially with thousands of colleges, universities and other institutes participating across the country.
According to the NIRF 2025 report, about 7,692 institutes submitted their applications for the NIRF rankings across categories. Overall there were 14,163 applications. The number of unique participating colleges, universities increased from 6,517 in NIRF 2024, when 10,845 applications were submitted. Institutes submit their applications for more than one category to be ranked under the NIRF rankings list.
The NIRF framework ranks universities, colleges and other institutes in multiple categories including Overall, Universities, Colleges, Engineering, Management, Medical, Pharmacy, Law, Architecture, Dental, Research, Agriculture and Allied Sectors, Innovation, Open Universities, Skill University, State Public University, Sustainable Development Goals, etc. The institutes are judged on five core parameters for all categories rankings.
How Many Colleges, Universities Participate in NIRF Ranking Each Year?
Following table depicts the total number of colleges and universities which participated in NIRF rankings over the years:
|
Year |
Number of Institutes |
|
2025 |
7,692 |
|
2024 |
6,517 |
|
2023 |
5,543 |
|
2022 |
4,786 |
|
2021 |
4,030 |
Looking at the above data, there has been about 62.48% increase in the participation in NIRF rankings over the past five years.
Why Has NIRF Participation Increased Over the Years?
The Ministry of Education said that the number of Indian institutes participating in the QS University World Rankings also increased after NIRF was launched. In 2015, 11 universities participated in the QS world rankings and in 2027, 52 Indian universities featured in the rankings.
Simply put, NIRF participation has increased over the years as colleges and universities want better visibility, government funding and student trust. The Government of India ties NIRF rank to institutional grants, financial support, student loan eligibility, etc. A good NIRF rank acts as a reliable indicator for students and faculty.
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