Recently, the Ministry of Education unveiled the sixth edition of the India Rankings 2021. The rankings were instituted by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), marking a significant development in the country’s educational landscape.
About the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)
In September 2015, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) received approval from the Ministry of Education, previously known as the Ministry of Human Resource Development. This step symbolised the government’s first-ever endeavour to rank Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) operating in the country. NIRF made participation compulsory for all education institutions run by the government in 2018.
NIRF Assessment Parameters
A comprehensive assessment under NIRF is carried out based on five parameters, including Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR), Research and Professional Practice (RP), Graduation Outcomes (GO), Outreach and Inclusivity (OI), and Peer Perception.
Categories Under NIRF
Evaluations are conducted for 11 categories under NIRF. The best institutions across these categories, namely overall national ranking, universities, engineering, college, medical, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, dental and research, are highlighted.
Motivation Behind Launching NIRF
The subjectivity in the ranking methodology developed by QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Ranking compelled India to devise its own ranking system for Indian HEIs, inspired by Shanghai Rankings. Although NIRF is in its sixth year, it has so far only ranked Indian HEIs, whereas Shanghai Rankings had an international scope from the start. However, NIRF intends to expand its reach to create an international league table in the long term.
Participation in 2021 Rankings
In the 2021 NIRF Rankings, over 6,000 institutions participated, bringing together a diverse array of educational entities.
Highlights of India Rankings 2021
IIT-Madras, IISc-Bangalore, and IIT-Bombay earned the top three slots among the country’s higher education institutions. In the university category, IISc Bangalore secured the top position. Among colleges, Miranda College retained its first position for the fifth consecutive year, with Lady Shri Ram College for Women and Loyola College following suit. IIT-Madras remained number one among engineering institutions, while in the management category, The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad took the lead. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, retained the top position in the medical category for the fourth consecutive year. In the pharmacy category, Jamia Hamdard topped for the third consecutive year. IIT Roorkee took the top slot in the architecture category for the first time, while National Law School of India University, Bangalore retained its position in the law category for the fourth consecutive year. Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal secured the first position in the dental category. Notably, IISc, Bengaluru was declared the best research institution, a newly included category in India Rankings 2021.
