Context: Recently, the Ministry of Education has announced the NIRF India rankings 2025. NIRF India rankings 2025 covered 7692 institutions (the highest ever) across 17 categories including a newly added Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) category.
Relevance of the Topic:Prelims: Key facts about NIRF Rankings 2025.
National Institutional Ranking Framework
- The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is an annual ranking framework to rank various educational institutions across the country since 2016.
- Released by: Ministry of Education
- Categories: NIRF ranks different educational institutes in the 17 categories: Engineering; Management; Pharmacy; Law; Medical; Dental; Architecture and Planning; Agriculture and allied sectors; Colleges; University; Research; Innovation; Overall; Open Universities; Skill Universities; State Public Universities; Sustainable Development Goals.
- Institutions are evaluated based on five key parameters: Teaching, learning, and resources (30%), research and professional practice (30%), graduation outcomes (20%), outreach and inclusivity (10%), and peer perception (10%).
Key Highlights of NIRF India Rankings 2025:
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras retains its 1st position in Overall Category for the seventh consecutive year, and in Engineering for tenth consecutive year.
- University: Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
- Management: IIM Ahmedabad
- Medical: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi
- Colleges: Hindu College
- Law: National Law School of India University, Bengaluru.
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras tops the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) category introduced for the first time in 2025.
Associated Challenges:
- Risk of False Data: While the rankings claim to rely on verifiable metrics and third-party audits of research, it depends heavily on bibliometric data and self-declared inputs from institutions.
- Peer Perception Parameter: It is the feedback gathered from subject experts and employers. It can be subjective and prone to influence and prejudice, as it relies more on an institution’s reputation than its actual reputability. This can be often to the disadvantage of suburban or State-run higher education institutions. As it accounts for 10% of the total weight, it can skew the rankings.
- Outreach and Inclusivity Parameter (OI): The NIRF focuses only on outcomes related to regional and gender diversity. It conspicuously omits data on students who are economically and socially disadvantaged and with disabilities, despite these factors each having a 20% weightage within the OI component.