NIRF 2025 (Engineering): What the Top-100 Really Tells Us

NIRF 2025 (Engineering): What the Top-100 Really Tells Us

India’s 2025 Engineering rankings—released 4 Sept—continue the long arc of stability at the very top, with IIT Madras holding #1, followed by IIT Delhi (#2) and IIT Bombay (#3). But once you read beyond the Top-10 and scan the full Top-100, a few big storylines pop: steady IIT dominance, a resilient NIT core, and a deeper bench of private/deemed universities pushing into the 30–80 band. 

Snapshot: Top of the table (1–20)

• #1 IIT Madras; #2 IIT Delhi; #3 IIT Bombay; #4 IIT Kanpur; #5 IIT Kharagpur; #6 IIT Roorkee; #7 IIT Hyderabad; #8 IIT Guwahati; #9 NIT Tiruchirappalli; #10 IIT (BHU) Varanasi. 
• IIT-BHU’s #10 is a repeat of last year’s position (a rare “hold” in the Top-10). 

10 Key Takeaways (from the full Top-100)

1. IITs still set the pace—but the middle pack is more competitive.
   All top 8 are IITs; NIT Trichy is the only NIT in the Top-10 (#9). In the 11–30 range, non-IITs such as BITS Pilani (#11) and VIT (#16) keep the pressure on.
   
2. Stand-out movers among non-IITs.
   This year’s notable rises include BITS Pilani (to #11, up 9), IIIT Hyderabad (to #38, up 9), Christ University (to #76, up 17), Vignan’s Foundation (to #80, up 11), Jain University (to #84, up 11)—all signalling quietly improving research/GO profiles.
   
3. Some storied publics slipped.
   Examples: IIT Ropar (to #32, −10), NIT Silchar (to #50, −10), IIEST Shibpur (to #54, −5), IIST Thiruvananthapuram (to #61, −10), NIT Delhi (to #65, −20), DAE’s DIAT Pune (to #92, −29), suggesting recalibration of RP/TLR or perception.
   
4. Tamil Nadu’s depth shows up in the 20–80 corridor.
   Alongside IIT-M and NIT-Trichy, institutions like SRM (#14), VIT (#16), Anna University (#20), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (#23), Kalasalingam (#33), SASTRA (#40), SSN (#47), Sathyabama (#67), PSG (#67) and Sri Krishna (#100) populate the Top-100—an unusually dense cluster from one state.
   
5. Kerala puts four in the Top-100, led by NIT Calicut (#21).
   Kerala’s entries are NIT Calicut (#21), CUSAT (#55), IIST Thiruvananthapuram (#61), and IIT Palakkad (#64)—a balanced mix of central, state and new-gen IIT presence.
6. New or returning faces at the bottom edge signal churn.
   The #95–#100 zone features C.V. Raman Global University, Odisha (#95), Atal Bihari Vajpayee IIIT&M (#96), NIT Hamirpur (#97), Pandit Deendayal Energy University (#98), NIT Puducherry (#99), Sri Krishna College of Engineering & Technology (#100). The tail is more volatile year-to-year than the head.
7. Private/deemed universities are consolidating in the 30–80 band.
   Think Thapar (#29), Chandigarh University (#31), Amity (#37), Symbiosis (#46), LPU (#48), Chitkara (#89)—consistent appearances reflect improving placement and research footprints.
8. Regional breadth continues to widen.
   Outside the traditional south/west hubs, MNIT Jaipur (#42), UPES Dehradun (#43), NIT Srinagar (#73), IIT Bhilai (#72) and NIT Meghalaya (#83) maintain visibility—important for geographic access to quality engineering education.
9. Rank-band transitions matter.
   Institutions hovering around ~#40–#60 see outsized movement with relatively small efficiency gains (RP/TLR/GO). That’s why you see multi-step jumps/drops (e.g., Christ +17, DAE-DIAT −29). It’s a “compressed middle”.

Top-10 stability ≠ stagnation.
Even with the same leaders, sub-scores (RPC/TLR/GO) have shifted under the hood—e.g., perception and research weightings plus the SDG-linked tweaks this year—keeping the race active.

Kerala: a closer read inside the Top-100

• NIT Calicut (#21) anchors Kerala’s position;
  
• CUSAT (#55) sustains mid-table strength;
  
• IIST Thiruvananthapuram (#61) remains a national space-tech outlier, albeit down from last year;
  
• IIT Palakkad (#64) continues its steady climb phase as a newer IIT. 

State flavour across the 100 (high-level)

• Tamil Nadu: an outsized representation, including one IIT (#1), one NIT (#9), and a large private/deemed university cohort.
  
• Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal: each places multiple institutions across the 20–90 stretch, diversifying the mid-table.
  (Exact per-state counts can be charted on request; the official list supports a clear TN lead among non-IITs.)

What changed vs 2024 (select highlights we can trust)

• IIT-BHU held #10 year-on-year. 
• BITS Pilani made the year’s headline jump into #11 (from #20). IIIT Hyderabad (+9), Christ (+17), and Vignan’s (+11) underline private/deemed upward mobility.
• Several NITs and specialist publics (e.g., DIAT Pune) saw double-digit drops—likely a mix of research output recalibration and perception shifts.
  

Risers vs Fallers (Top-100, 2024 → 2025)

Δ = (2024 rank – 2025 rank) → positive = rose (improved), negative = fell.
(New entrants in 2025 without a 2024 Top-100 rank are excluded from delta.)

Dr. Mendus Jacob

Dr. Mendus Jacob, is the CEO of ipsr solutions limited and Professor & Director of the MCA Programme at Marian College, Kuttikkanam (Autonomous), with over 35 years of experience as an academician and entrepreneur. He is the former Director of School of Applicable Mathematics, M. G. University, Kerala. A Ph.D. in Operations Research with numerous publications, he has served on academic bodies of universities and autonomous institutions, produced Ph.D.s, and been a sought-after resource person for global conferences and faculty development programmes. An expert in NEP, Outcome Based Education, and Accreditation, he has mentored prestigious universities and trained over 40,000 faculty members nationwide on OBE implementation.