The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) recently unveiled the 2023 rankings, highlighting the stellar performance and laudable accomplishments of Indian educational institutions. Outshining the competition yet again, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras clinched the top spot in the overall ranking for the fifth year in a row. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru was recognized as the best university.
Highlights of the NIRF Ranking 2023
As before, the 2023 ranking continues to provide an overall rank, along with separate ranks for universities, research institutions, degree colleges, and discipline-specific ranks in various fields, including engineering, management, pharmacy, law, medical, dental, and architecture & planning.
New Additions in the 2023 Edition of India Rankings
The 2023 edition introduced three significant changes. First, a new subject was added under the name Agriculture & Allied Sectors. Second, the “Architecture” category was broadened to “Architecture and Planning.” This enabled the inclusion of institutions offering courses in Urban and Town Planning. Lastly, the previously separate “Innovation” ranking executed by the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) has been integrated into the India Rankings. This initiative aimed to alleviate the problem of institutions providing similar data to two different agencies.
Increased Participation from Higher Educational Institutes
The total number of higher educational institutions that participated in the 2023 ranking exercise showed a significant increase. In 2016, 3565 institutions took part in the process under four categories. Fast forward to 2023, this number had surged to 8686, with participants vying for top positions in 13 different categories and subject domains.
Major Top Rankings: Who Led the Field?
In the engineering category, IIT-Madras held on to its position as the premier engineering institution in India for the eighth straight year. IIT-Delhi and IIT-Bombay took the second and third spots, respectively. In the realm of management education, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad secured the top spot, followed by IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode.
Top Performers Across Different Disciplines
The National Law School of India University, Bengaluru emerged the best among law institutes in India, with National Law University, Delhi and NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad taking second and third place. Among Pharmacy institutes, the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad was recognized as the leading pharmacy institute, trailed by Jamia Hamdard and BITS Pilani.
Top Colleges: Delhi University Shines
Delhi University had a significant presence in the rankings, with five of its colleges among the top 10. Miranda House retained its top position for another year, while Hindu College came in a close second.
Understanding NIRF Ranking
The NIRF is a government-approved ranking methodology introduced by the Ministry of Education (formerly known as the Ministry of Human Resource Development) on 29th September 2015. It is the country’s first effort to rank Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) based on various parameters. The weightage for each parameter depends on the category of the institution.
