Beyond the Top 10: How NIRF 2025 Engineering Rankings Reveal Shifts in Placements and Sustainability
MoE has announced NIRF 2025 for engineering institutions, reaffirming IIT Madras as India’s no. 1 engineering college. IITM has retained its position for the tenth consecutive year with a score of 88.72 out of 100. IIT Delhi followed in second place with 85.74, while IIT Bombay secured the third position with 83.65. Let’s understand the ranking parameters and trend analysis beyond the most highlighted top 10 engineering colleges.
NIRF Rankings 2025 for Engineering Beyond IITs: Real Competition Across Parameters
This year, the NIRF 2025 rankings evaluated 1584 engineering institutes based on five weighted parameters: Teaching, Learning & Resources at 30% and similarly Research & Professional Practice at 30%, Graduation Outcomes 20%, Outreach & Inclusivity at 10%, and Perception at 10%. IITs dominated the list once again this time, securing nine out of the top 10 positions. The only exception was NIT Trichy, holding its position at 9th with a score of 68.14, retaining its position as the top NIT in the country.
There has been a change in the methodology of evaluation in the NIRF Ranking 2025. The introduction of SDG indicators and tighter checks on research integrity have small shifts, particularly in the middle tier of the rankings.
| Parameters |
Details |
|---|---|
| Sustainability in the Spotlight |
A major change in NIRF 2025 is the inclusion of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) metrics. Private institutions such as Birla Institute of Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Amrita Vishwa Vidhyapeetham and SRM Institute of Technology, which have consistently invested in sustainability projects, take their spots as the best private engineering colleges in the country. Even among NITs, those with stronger regional outreach and inclusivity programs improved their standings. |
| Research Quality Over Quantity |
There is a 30% weightage to research and professional practice, but this year, the quality of publication mattered more than quantity. IIT Madras and IIT Delhi retained their edge because of their high-impact international journals and industry collaborations. Some mid-ranked institutes that chased quantity suffered in rankings with the introduction of penalties for papers published in questionable or predatory journals. |
| Placements Keep Driving Success |
The Graduation Outcomes (GO) parameter, which accounted for 20%, was again a crucial differentiator in the rankings. IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay saw some of the highest median salary packages and placement rates, pushing up their GO scores. Amongst the others, NIT Trichy fared well once more, while private players like VIT and KIIT Bhubaneswar gained good points on account of good recruiter linkages and stable placement performance. This remains one of the most critical indicators of institutional quality among students and parents. |
| Government vs Private |
IITs and NITs continue to dominate the top of the table; private institutions are increasingly competitive in the 20-50 rank range. Birla Institute of Technology and Science, BITS had an impressive jump from 20th position last year to 11th rank this year. KIIT Bhubaneswar moved up to the 36th place in 2025, compared to 37th last year. Amrita and VIT remained as the leading private players, reflecting strong performances in inclusivity, teaching, and graduation outcomes. The gap between top government institutions and high-performing private ones is gradually narrowing. |
| Beyond Top 10: The Real Competition |
Most of the changes happened within the 20-50 rank band, with many NITs and IIITs shifting places. The ones that improved their placement outcome and enhanced faculty resources moved up the rankings, while others slipped down because of weaker perception scores. This increasing competition within the mid-tiers heralds wider possibilities for aspirants beyond just IITs. |
| Regional Trends: South India Leads Again |
The south tops the list once again with the names of IIT Madras, NIT Trichy, Amrita, and VIT included in the list. North India's pride is headed by IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur, while IIT Kharagpur and KIIT feature for the east. This regional balance indicates the pan-Indian spread of quality engineering education, though southern institutions have been rather consistent performers overall. |
| Perception Advantage Keeps IITs Ahead |
The Perception (PR) score, with 10% weightage, continues to be a major advantage for IITs. Recruiters, academics, and the general public overwhelmingly associate IITs with excellence, which keeps them ahead even when other institutes score comparably in teaching or placements. Closing this perception gap is a challenge for the best-performing private and regional institutions. |
The NIRF 2025 engineering rankings show a shift in priorities for technical education. With sustainability, inclusivity, and research integrity now firmly on the agenda, institutions are being encouraged to look beyond traditional measures of success. IITs remain untouched at the top; however, based on the rankings, students can find their best fit beyond the IITs.
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