NIRF 2025 Introduces Sustainable Development Goals Category; Full List of Top 10 Institutions
NIRF 2025 Rankings introduces Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) rankings. IIT Madras has topped, with IARI, Jamia Millia Islamia, SRM, MAHE, JNU, and BHU in the Top 10.
The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025 has, for the first time, introduced Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) category, thus making 17 categories of NIRF India Rankings. IIT Madras has emerged at the top, it is followed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), New Delhi. A total of 10 institutions, including SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), and Banaras Hindu University (BHU), have been recognised by NIRF for their role in advancing sustainability and social impact.
NIRF 2025 SDG Rankings: Top 10 Institutions
| Rank | Institution | City, State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IIT Madras | Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| 2 | Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) | New Delhi |
| 3 | Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) | New Delhi |
| 4 | SRM Institute of Science and Technology | Chennai |
| 5 | Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) | Manipal, Karnataka |
| 6 | IIT Roorkee | Roorkee, Uttarakhand |
| 7 | Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) | New Delhi |
| 8 | IIT Delhi | New Delhi |
| 9 | NIT Rourkela | Rourkela, Odisha |
| 10 | Banaras Hindu University (BHU) | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh |
What Does the SDG Category Measure?
The new SDG category recognises higher education institutions that:
Implement sustainable campus practices (energy efficiency, waste management, water conservation).
Align their research with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Strengthen community outreach and social initiatives.
Promote inclusivity, diversity, and equity on campus.
No Scores Released in SDG Rankings
Commonly asked questions
The branch-wise average package for the 2025 drive is yet to be released. Meanwhile, the overall and the top offers average package for MIT Manipal placement in 2024 and 2025 are tabulated below:
Particulars |
Placement Statistics (2024) |
Placement Statistics (2025) |
|---|---|---|
Average Package (overall) |
INR 10.49 LPA |
INR 11.76 LPA |
Average Package (top 50 offers) |
INR 25.92 LPA |
INR 29.81 LPA |
Average Package (top 100 offers) |
INR 21.46 LPA |
INR 24.32 LPA |
Average Package (top 150 offers) |
INR 18.91 LPA |
INR 21.25 LPA |
Average Package (top 200 offers) |
INR 17.41 LPA |
INR 18.99 LPA |
Average Package (top 250 offers) |
INR 16.27 LPA |
INR 17.39 LPA |
Placements at IIT Madras are good. According to the placement report 2025 released, median and average package recorded during BTech CSE placements was 46 LPA and 53.2 LPA. In BTech EE, the median and average salary offered was 22.5 LPA and 28.8 LPA. In ME, MM and PH branch, the average package stood at 16.9 LPA, 18.4 LPA and 34.1 LPA.
BHU placements are good. The highest and average packages secured by MBA students in 2025 were INR 19.8 LPA and INR 10.1 LPA, respectively. Median salary stood at INR 9.2 LPA. The university has not yet released the placement data 2026 for other courses. During the placement drive 2025, a total of 177 placement drives were held, and more than 950 students were placed.
Unlike other NIRF 2025 Rankings categories such as Engineering, Management, Colleges, where institutions’ scores are published with their rank, the SDG category currently lists only the Top 10 institutions without releasing score details. This makes the 2025 edition of this ranking more of a recognition exercise, with detailed scoring expected in future editions.
National vs Global Context
Interestingly, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and Lovely Professional University (LPU) which appear frequently in THE Impact Rankings for SDGs, they do not feature in the NIRF’s Top 10. This also indicates a difference in methodology, with the domestic framework highlighting India’s traditional institutions like the IITs, central universities, and major agricultural and technical institutions.
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Abhay Anand is an experienced education journalist with over 15 years in print and digital media. Currently serving as Manager- Editorial at Shiksha.com, he specializes in higher education policy, student mobility,
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