NIRF Rankings 2024

• 14 Aug 2024

Source: IE

Why in News? 

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings 2024, announced by the Union Ministry of Education (MoE), has once again highlighted the leading institutions in India’s higher education landscape. 

What are the Key Highlights of NIRF 2024?

• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras: Maintained its top position in the ‘Overall’ and ‘Engineering’ categories for six and nine consecutive years, respectively. The institute also retained its second rank in the ‘Research Institutions’ and ‘Innovations’ categories.
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru: Continued its dominance by topping the ‘Universities’ and ‘Research Institutions’ categories for the ninth and fourth consecutive years, respectively.
• IIM Ahmedabad: Secured the top position in the ‘Management’ category for the fifth consecutive year.
• AIIMS, New Delhi: Remained the leading institution in the ‘Medical’ category for seven consecutive years, and was ranked 7th in the ‘Overall’ category.
• Jamia Hamdard: Topped the ‘Pharmacy’ category, while IIT Roorkee led in ‘Architecture and Planning’.
• Delhi University (DU): Made a notable jump from 11th to 6th place in the overall rankings, re-entering the top 10 university club in the country. 
  • DU's Hindu College claimed the top position among colleges for the first time, surpassing Miranda House, which had been the top college for seven consecutive years. 
    • St. Stephen’s College secured the third position, completing the top three rankings.
• New Additions to the NIRF 2024:
  • New Categories: The 9th edition of NIRF Rankings introduced three new categories State Public Universities, Open Universities, and Skill Universities, and integrated "Innovation" ranking using the NIRF, expanding the portfolio to 16 categories and subject domains.
    • Anna University and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) topped the new State Public Universities and Open Universities categories, respectively.
    • Symbiosis Skill and Professional University (SSPU), Pune topped the Skill Universities category.
  • Looking ahead, the Ministry of Education plans to introduce a new category for Sustainability Rankings in the 2025 edition of the NIRF, evaluating institutions on their commitment to environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, and green campus initiatives.
• Increased Applications: The number of unique institutions participating in the rankings increased from 2,426 in 2016 to 6,517 in 2024. 
  • The total number of applications also rose significantly, highlighting the growing engagement and recognition of the NIRF rankings.

What is the National Institutional Ranking Framework?

• About: The NIRF is a ranking system introduced by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, in 2015. It aims to provide a fair and transparent assessment of higher education institutions across India based on various parameters.
• Parameters for Ranking: The NIRF evaluates institutions based on five broad categories.

Note: 

• The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) also evaluates educational institutions. NAAC evaluates and accredits higher education institutions based on a comprehensive assessment of their overall quality, encompassing various dimensions. NAAC's accreditation process is qualitative, focusing on an institution's ability to provide a well-rounded educational experience. 
• The accreditation system categorises institutions into grades ranging from A++ to D, indicating their overall quality status.
• In contrast, NIRF's primary role is to rank institutions annually based on specific quantitative parameters, helping prospective students gauge the relative performance of institutions across the country.