The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras retained the top spot among institutes in the country for the fourth consecutive year whereas the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru was the best university and research institution, according to the ministry of education’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings. 

What is NIRF?

• According to the ministry, the global ranking systems give weightage to the parameters such as percentage of the international students and foreign faculty, and perception — where Indian institutions do not fare as well.

• In order to measure the excellence keeping in view the diversity of India, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) was launched by the government in September 2015. 

The ranking framework evaluates institutions on five broad generic groups of parameters:

i) Teaching, Learning and Resources 

ii) Research and Professional Practice 

iii) Graduation Outcomes 

iv) Outreach and Inclusivity 

v) Perception. 

• Ranks are assigned based on the total sum of marks assigned for each of these five broad groups of parameters.

• Each of these five parameters have two to five sub-parameters. A total number of 18–21 sub-parameters are used for ranking of higher education institutions (HEIs) in different categories and subject domains. 

• Institutions are ranked based on the total sum of marks assigned for each of these five broad groups of parameters.

• A total number of 4,786 unique institutions offered themselves for ranking under overall, category-specific and domain-specific rankings for NIRF, 2022. 

• In all, 7,254 applications for ranking were made by these 4,786 unique institutions under various categories and domains, including 1,876 in overall category, 1,249 in engineering, and 2,270 in general degree colleges. 

• The seventh edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings was announced by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He also announced that every higher education institution needs to be accredited and all the institutions shall be part of NIRF. 

• From next year, NIRF ranking categories will also include innovation and entrepreneurship. NIRF rankings categories can be increased as per the needs. There is already work going on rankings of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and polytechnics.

• Only those universities and colleges which have NAAC grading or NIRF ranking will be eligible for inclusion in the list maintained by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under Section 12 B of the UGC Act, 1956 for receiving financial assistance.     

• Soon there will be a system where each school is also accredited. 

Key highlights of India Rankings 2022:

• Seven IITs — IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati — figured in the top 10 in the overall rankings. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) were ranked ninth and tenth, respectively in the overall rankings. 

• In the ‘universities’ category, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru bagged the top spot followed by JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia at second and third ranks, respectively. The Banaras Hindu University (BHU), which was ranked third last year in the category, slipped to the sixth position this year. Jadavpur University, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Calcutta University, Vellore Institute of Technology and University of Hyderabad, bagged the subsequent positions in the universities category.

• Eight IITs — Madras, Delhi, Bombay, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee, Guwahati and  Hyderabad — have figured among the top ten ranks in the ‘engineering institutions’ category.

• Among colleges, Miranda House retained its spot as the best college in the country followed by Hindu College, which has improved its rank to make it to the second spot from the ninth position last year. Lady Shri Ram College for Women slipped to fifth rank from the second spot last year, while Presidency College, Chennai climbed to the third spot from the seventh position. Loyola College in Chennai has slipped to the fourth spot from third rank. 

• IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta retained their first, second and third ranks, respectively among the B-Schools in the country.

• In the ‘pharmacy’ category, the top institute is Delhi’s Jamia Hamdard, followed by the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad and Panjab University, Chandigarh which slipped to the third position from second rank.

• In the ‘medical colleges’ category, AIIMS, Delhi bagged the top spot, followed by PGIMER Chandigarh and Christian Medical College, Vellore.

• Among the dental colleges, Saveetha Institute of Medical And Technical Sciences, Chennai, Manipal College of Dental Sciences and DY Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune were the top three institutions.

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