IIT vs IIM NIRF Rankings: Which is Better after CAT 2026?
IIT Delhi ranks above three IIMs in NIRF Management list. With eight IITs in the top 100, the CAT-to-IIM may not be as lucrative as it used to be. Check complete analysis of IIT vs IIM NIRF rankings before the release of NIRF 2026 MBA ranks.
IIT vs IIM in NIRF Management Rankings
In the last release of NIRF Management rankings (2025), eight Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) secured positions in the top 100 list. Among the top IITs in the NIRF MBA rankings is IIT Delhi, which ranked 4th with an overall score of 78.94. NIRF ranking places IIT Delhi above legacy IIMs such as IIM Lucknow, IIM Mumbai, and IIM Indore. For decades, management aspirants have followed the notion that "CAT = IIM." However, with IITs ranked in the NIRF Management list, this assumption becomes debatable.
IITs in NIRF Management Ranking 2025
Top 100 Management institutes in the NIRF 2025 ranking included eight IITs. Check the table below for NIRF Management ranks for IITs:
| Institute | NIRF Management 2025 Rank | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|
| IIT Delhi | 4 | 78.94 |
| IIT Kharagpur | 12 | 66.97 |
| IIT Madras | 13 | [Not detailed in NIRF Report] |
| IIT Bombay | 14 | [Not detailed in NIRF Report] |
| IIT Roorkee | 22 | 61.77 |
| IIT Kanpur | 27 | [Not detailed in NIRF Report] |
| IIT (ISM) Dhanbad | 48 | [Not detailed in NIRF Report] |
| IIT Jodhpur | 98 | 45.02 |
Analyse NIRF rankings, average packages, and ROI side-by-side.
Why IIT Delhi Beats IIM Lucknow, Mumbai and Indore on This List
On this ranking, IIT Delhi (Rank 4, overall score 78.94) sits directly ahead of IIM Lucknow (Rank 5, overall score 77.97), IIM Mumbai (Rank 6, overall score 77.58), and IIM Indore (Rank 8, overall score 75.68). To understand how this occurs, candidates must look at the NIRF scoring methodology.
The NIRF management score is derived from five parameters:
- Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR): 30%
- Research and Professional Practice (RPC / RP): 30%
- Graduation Outcomes (GO): 20%
- Outreach and Inclusivity (OI): 10%
- Perception (PR): 10%
Under this formula, the Research and Professional Practice parameter measures publications (PU, 40 marks), quality of publications via citations (QP, 40 marks), and research funding, consultancy, and executive development programs (FPPP, 20 marks).
IIT Delhi performs better than many IIMs in the RPC parameter. Check the table below for a comparison of scores across IIT Delhi, IIM Lucknow, IIM Mumbai, and IIM Indore:
| Institute | TLR (100) | RPC (100) | GO (100) | OI (100) | Perception (100) | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIT Delhi (Rank 4) | 74.02 | 87.50 | 83.30 | 75.59 | 62.59 | 78.94 |
| IIM Lucknow (Rank 5) | 86.37 | 59.80 | 96.96 | 71.82 | 75.51 | 77.97 |
| IIM Mumbai (Rank 6) | 85.20 | 60.18 | 99.84 | 78.00 | 62.03 | 77.58 |
| IIM Indore (Rank 8) | 86.11 | 59.69 | 94.28 | 76.25 | 54.50 | 75.68 |
Will IIT Delhi Accept CAT 2026?
IITs appearing in the NIRF ranking does not mean all management courses offered by the institute will be based on CAT. However, IIT Delhi accepts CAT scores for MBA as well as MBA Telecom admissions. Other IITs will also accept CAT scores for admission to MBA courses. However, each IIT has a distinct MBA admission policy.
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Abhishek Dhawan is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He holds a BA degree from the University of Delhi. At Shiksha, Abhishek primarily covers MBA and BBA entrance
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