Updated on Sep 5, 2025 07:56 IST
Aneena Aley Abraham

Aneena Aley AbrahamSenior Executive

Top Universities in India: Ranking, Admission 2025, Fees, Placements, Cut Off

There are about 90+ top universities in India.  Among these, 50+ universities are owned by the government, and 30+ universities are owned privately. Students can get admission to these colleges based on merit, or through scores in entrance exams like CUET, CUET PG, ICAR AIEEA, IIT JAM, SAT India, etc. Some of the top Universities in India are the Indian Institute of Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Banaras Hindu University, Delhi University (DU), etc.

Top Universities in India: Highlights 2025

Many Indian universities are frequently ranked among the best in the world. Here is a brief overview of some of the best universities in India:

Particulars

Parameters

No. of Colleges

90+ colleges

Annual Fees

Less than INR 1 Lakh: 30+ colleges

INR 1-2 Lakh: 10+ colleges

INR 2-3 Lakh: 6 colleges

INR 3-5 Lakh: 10+ colleges

More than INR 5 Lakh: 10+ colleges

Top Universities in India

Indian Institute of Science, JNU, JMI, Jadavpur University, BHU, etc.

Top Specialisations

Agriculture, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, etc.

Accepted Entrance Exams

CUET, CUET PG, ICAR AIEEA, IIT JAM, SAT India, etc.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Top Universities in India: NIRF Ranking 2025

The NIRF ranks colleges every year. The ranking is based on various parameters, and rankings change year on year depending on various criteria like performance, placement, infrastructure, etc. of the college universities. The following are the top 10 Universities in India ranked by NIRF for the past three years:

Universities Name

NIRF 2023

NIRF 2024 NIRF 2025

Indian Institute of Science Ranking

1 1 1

JNU Ranking

2 2 2

Manipal Ranking

6 4 3

JMI Ranking

3 3 4

Delhi University Ranking

11 6

BHU Ranking

5 5 6
BITS Pilani Ranking 20 19 7

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Ranking

7 7 8

Jadavpur University Ranking

4 9 9
Aligarh Muslim University Ranking 9 8 10

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website of the ranking body listed and may vary.

Top Universities in India: QS World University Ranking 2026

The top 10 universities in India according to QS World University Ranking 2026 are listed in the table below:

College Name QS World University
IIT Delhi 123
IIT Bombay 129
IIT Madras 180
IIT Kharagpur 215
IISc 219
IIT Kanpur 222
DU 328
IIT Guwahati 334

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website of the ranking body listed and may vary.

Top Universities in India: Admissions 2025

The general eligibility criteria for admission to the top Universities in India are mentioned below:

  • Students must pass Class 12 from a recognised board to be admitted to bachelor’s degree programmes in the Central Universities.
  • For the General category, the candidate needs to secure a minimum of 50% in Class 12, and for SC/ST, candidates need to have secured a minimum of 45% in Class 12 to be eligible for the CUET 2025. 

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Top Universities in India: Exam Schedule 2025

For admission to the best universities in India, candidates must qualify for some of the popular exams accepted by the best Universities in India:

  • CUET: CUET stands for Central University Entrance Test. It is an all-India level entrance exam conducted by NTA for admission to UG courses offered in all the participating institutions. The exam is conducted in a computer-based mode for two hours.
  • ICAR AIEEA: Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination for Admission is a national-level entrance exam conducted by NTA for admission to Bachelor Degree programmes in Agriculture and Allied Sciences (other than Veterinary Sciences), at Agricultural Universities, on 15-20% of the University seats.
  • CUET-PG: The Central University Entrance Test (Postgraduate), also known as CUET PG, is a national entrance exam being launched for admission to PG programmes at Central and participating universities. Candidates from all over the nation now have a shared platform and equal possibilities to take admission to the top colleges in India.

Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of exams for top universities in India, along with the date, schedule and syllabus of these exams:

Exam Name Exam Schedule Exam Syllabus
IIT JAM IIT JAM Schedule IIT JAM Syllabus
CUET CUET Schedule CUET Syllabus
ICAR AIEEA ICAR AIEEA Schedule ICAR AIEEA Syllabus
CUET PG CUET PG Schedule CUET PG Syllabus

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Top Government Universities in India: Admission, Fees, Seats and Eligibility

The table below shows the top government Universities in India along with their tuition fees/BSc and MSc seat intake:

Public/Govt. Universities

Total Tuition Fee/Seat Intake

Indian Institute of Science Admission

Fees: INR 36,000

MSc Seats: 62

JNU Admission

Fees: INR 432

BSc Seats: 207

MSc Seats: 283

Jamia Millia Islamia Admission

Fees: INR 42,000

BSc Seats: 511

MSc Seats: 563

BHU Admission

Fees: INR 2.4 lakh

BSc Seats: 1,403

MSc Seats: 2,812

DU Admission

Fees: INR 11,000

BSc Seats: 21,684

MSc Seats: 3,256

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Top Private Universities in India: Admission, Fees, Seats and Eligibility

The table below shows the top private Universities in India:

Private Universities

Total Tuition Fee

Manipal School of Life Sciences Admission

INR 3 Lakh

VIT Vellore Admission

INR 4 Lakh

Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences Admission

INR 5 Lakh

SOA Admission

INR 7.6 Lakh

KIIT Admission

INR 6 Lakh

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

State-wise Top Universities in India: Admission and Fees

Among the best colleges in India, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of top universities. Refer to the table for a detailed overview of the state-wise distribution of India's top Universities:

Location

Number of Universities

Tamil Nadu

21 colleges

Delhi NCR

10 colleges

Karnataka

9 colleges

Maharashtra

8 colleges

Uttar Pradesh

8 colleges

Andhra Pradesh

5 colleges

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Top Universities in Tamil Nadu

The top universities in Tamil Nadu are mentioned in the table below along with their tuition fees:

College Name Tuition Fee
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Courses   INR 4 Lakh
VIT Vellore Courses INR 4 Lakh
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Poonamallee Courses INR 5 Lakh
Bharathiar University, Coimbatore Courses INR 10,560
Srinivas Ramanujan Center SASTRA Courses INR 1.25 Lakh
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Top Universities in Karnataka

The top universities in Karnataka are mentioned in the table below, along with their tuition fees:

College Name Tuition Fee
IISc Courses INR 36,000
MAHE Courses INR 3 lakh
JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research Courses INR 1 lakh
University of Mysore Courses INR 5,600
Jain University Courses INR 5.4 lakh
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Top Universities in Maharashtra

The top universities in Maharashtra are mentioned in the table below, along with their tuition fees:

College Name Tuition Fee

UNIPUNE Courses

INR 6,500

ICTM Courses

INR 1.4 lakh

DMIHER Courses

INR 1.6 lakh

Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth Pune Courses 

INR 4.00 Lakh

School of Mathematical Sciences NMIMS Courses

INR 4.50 Lakh
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

To know more about the top universities in different regions of India CLICK BELOW:

Top Universities in India: Fees Vs Salary

ROI describes the benefit a student will reap in the form of a placement package after finishing the course which they have pursued. In terms of education, the ROI refers to the placement package received at the end of the course. The table below lists the top universities in India along with their total tuition fee and annual average package:

Universities Name

Total Tuition Fee

Annual Average Package

JNU Courses

INR 432

INR 9.50 LPA

JMI Courses

INR 42,000

INR 6 LPA

Manipal School of Life Sciences Courses

INR 2.92 Lakh

INR 11.75 LPA

Banaras Hindu University Courses

INR 2.40 lakh

INR 8.5 LPA

DU Courses

INR 11,010

INR 5.50 LPA

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Top Universities in India: Highest Salary and Top Recruiters

Below is the list of top recruiters for some of the top 50 universities in India along with their average placement package for graduates.

Universities Name

Average Placement Package

Top Recruiters

Manipal School of Life Sciences Placement

INR 11.75 LPA

Astra Zeneca Ltd, Biocon, Thermo Fisher Scientific, etc.

DU Placement

INR 5.50 LPA

Deloitte, Wipro, TCS, Tata Power, Axis Bank, etc.

JMI Placement

INR 6 LPA

DMRC, Big Oh Tech, TCS, Xenon Stack, Infosys, etc.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Placement

INR 9.50 LPA

Infosys, TCS, Google, IBM, HCL, HP, Accenture, etc.

Banaras Hindu University Placement

INR 8.5 LPA

IBM, Infosys, Wipro, Deloitte, KPMG, etc.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Cost of Studying at Top Universities in India

Pursuing courses in the top universities in India is affordable as most of the colleges have a total tuition fee is less than INR 1 Lakh. Tabulated below are the popular best universities for studying in India along with their total tuition fee structure:

Fee Range

Number of Universities

Popular Colleges

Less than INR 1 Lakh

30+ colleges

Indian Institute of Science, JNU, JMI, etc.

INR 1-2 Lakh

10+ colleges

Thapar University, SASTRA, Central University of Kasmir, etc.

INR 2-3 Lakh

6 colleges

UPES, SRM IST, Vignan's Foundation for Science, Technology and Research, GITAM, etc. 

INR 3-5 Lakh

10+ colleges

VIT Vellore, Kalaslingam Academy of Research and Education, SSBS, etc.

More than INR 5 Lakh

10+ colleges

SOA, KIIT, BITS Pilani, etc. 

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

You May Like: Top Universities Colleges in India 2025 Accepting CUET

Specialisations Offered by Top Universities in India

The table below shows the top specialisations offered by various Universities in India:

Top Specialisations No. of Colleges College Name
Biotechnology 15 colleges Jamia Millia Islamia, VIT Vellore, SRM IST, Chennai, Chandigarh University, etc.
Agriculture 10+ colleges Banaras Hindu University, SOA University, KL University, LPU - Lovely Professional University, Kalasalingam Academy of Research, etc.
Chemistry 10 colleges Indian Institute of Science, KIIT - Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, Bharathidasan University, etc.
Mathematics 9 colleges Jadavpur University, KIIT - Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Panjab University, etc.
Computer Science 8 colleges Aligarh Muslim University, Anna University, Srinivasa Ramanujan Center, SASTRA, Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, etc.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from the official website and may vary.

Top Universities in India: Comparison

To check the comparison between the universities in India, click the link below:

Read More

Location

Total Fees

Rating

Ownership

Specialization

Exams Accepted

85
NIRF ' 25
Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana
4.2

Placements

3.9

Infrastructure

4.3

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.3

Crowd & Campus Life

4.3

Value for Money

4.1

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(581)
Fees: 1.23 Lakh
41
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
87
NIRF ' 25
Sharda University
4.0

Placements

3.4

Infrastructure

4.4

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.0

Crowd & Campus Life

4.4

Value for Money

3.7

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(584)
Fees: 2.64 Lakh
Salary : 4.00 Lakh
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
88
NIRF ' 25
GITAM (Deemed to be University), Visakhapatnam
4.1

Placements

3.9

Infrastructure

4.4

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.1

Crowd & Campus Life

4.4

Value for Money

3.8

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(1421)
Fees: 2.57 Lakh
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
89
NIRF ' 25
Central University of Rajasthan
4.0

Placements

3.1

Infrastructure

4.1

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.1

Crowd & Campus Life

4.3

Value for Money

4.2

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(141)
Fees: 29,610
Salary : 5.40 Lakh
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
90
NIRF ' 25
Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology
4.0

Placements

3.4

Infrastructure

4.3

Faculty & Course Curriculum

3.9

Crowd & Campus Life

4.2

Value for Money

4.4

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(279)
Fees: 46,000
Salary : 4.30 Lakh
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
91
NIRF ' 25
DY Patil University, Navi Mumbai
4.2

Placements

4.1

Infrastructure

4.5

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.0

Crowd & Campus Life

4.5

Value for Money

4.1

Learning Experience

3.4

Course Support

0.0
(300)
Fees: 2.60 Lakh
Salary : 4.60 Lakh
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
92
NIRF ' 25
Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra
3.9

Placements

4.0

Infrastructure

4.0

Faculty & Course Curriculum

3.8

Crowd & Campus Life

4.3

Value for Money

3.7

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(676)
Fees: 6.90 Lakh
Salary : 3.60 Lakh
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
93
NIRF ' 25
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
3.9

Placements

3.4

Infrastructure

4.1

Faculty & Course Curriculum

3.9

Crowd & Campus Life

4.0

Value for Money

4.0

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(573)
Fees: 1.92 Lakh
Salary : 6.75 Lakh
36
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
94
NIRF ' 25
Periyar University
4.3

Placements

3.7

Infrastructure

4.3

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.4

Crowd & Campus Life

4.5

Value for Money

4.3

Learning Experience

4.5

Course Support

0.0
(8)
Fees: 6,880
Salary : 3.12 Lakh
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
95
NIRF ' 25
University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
3.9

Placements

2.8

Infrastructure

4.1

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.0

Crowd & Campus Life

4.4

Value for Money

4.2

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(37)
Salary : 7.50 Lakh
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
97
NIRF ' 25
Assam University, Silchar
3.8

Placements

3.4

Infrastructure

3.8

Faculty & Course Curriculum

3.9

Crowd & Campus Life

4.0

Value for Money

3.9

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(164)
Fees: 9,600
Salary : 4.00 Lakh
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
98
NIRF ' 25
University of Lucknow
3.8

Placements

3.2

Infrastructure

3.8

Faculty & Course Curriculum

3.9

Crowd & Campus Life

4.0

Value for Money

3.8

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(1053)
Fees: 88,216
Salary : 7.50 Lakh
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
99
NIRF ' 25
Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women
4.2

Placements

3.9

Infrastructure

4.0

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.3

Crowd & Campus Life

4.3

Value for Money

4.2

Learning Experience

0.0

Course Support

0.0
(22)
Fees: 3,900
Salary : 2.60 Lakh
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26
100
NIRF ' 25
IIIT Delhi - Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology
4.5

Placements

4.5

Infrastructure

4.7

Faculty & Course Curriculum

4.6

Crowd & Campus Life

4.4

Value for Money

4.1

Learning Experience

5.0

Course Support

0.0
(146)
Not Ranked
The Week ' 23
Not Ranked
QS World University Rankings ' 26

Other popular Science colleges in India

2.4 K - 2.4 L
8 - 9 LPA

#10 NIRF

432 - 540
8.4 LPA

#12 NIRF

53 K - 3.1 L
1.32 L - 2.12 L
16 Courses
55.95 K - 1.27 L
9.24 - 9.5 LPA

#1 NIRF

15 K - 1.9 L
6.23 - 6.89 LPA

#89 NIRF

1 L - 5 L
15 Courses
15.21 K - 56.79 K
7 LPA

#2 NIRF

4.95 K - 2.7 L
3.5 - 4 LPA

#11 NIRF

2.5 L - 6 L
80 K - 6.87 L
29.14 K - 88.86 K
3 - 4 LPA

#14 NIRF

Confused about which college or exam to opt for?

Chat with our counsellor.

Get your personalised list of colleges & exams.

14 Courses
15.7 K - 99.42 K
2.9 - 3.02 LPA

#18 NIRF

26.46 K - 1.05 L
2.5 - 5.5 LPA

#22 India Today

1.19 L - 2.97 L
2.15 L - 5.96 L
17 Courses
30.71 K - 78.29 K
5.45 - 6.05 LPA

#15 India Today

1.49 L - 3.3 L
4 LPA

#11 India Today

1.65 L - 3.25 L
6.5 - 8.1 LPA

#60 NIRF

40 K - 3.03 L
25 K - 4 L
3.4

#108 NIRF

10 Courses
540 - 5.9 K
4.62 LPA

#5 NIRF

8 Courses
1.03 L - 1.1 L
5 LPA

#72 NIRF

37.95 K - 4.67 L
2.12 L - 8.08 L
3 Courses
68.52 K - 82.92 K
10.2 LPA

#10 NIRF

49.1 K - 59.15 K
6.3 LPA

#21 The Week

19 Courses
3.6 K - 90 K
3.27 - 3.5 LPA

#22 Outlook

60 K - 3.6 L
1.2 L - 2.4 L