National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is an important tool developed by the Indian government to evaluate and rank higher educational institutions across India.

Overview of NIRF:

• Launched: 2015 by the Ministry of Education (MoE), with the objective of ranking institutions across the country.

• Ranking Categories: Institutions are ranked based on various parameters, including:

  1. Teaching, Learning, and Resources

  2. Research and Professional Practices

  3. Graduation Outcomes

  4. Outreach and Inclusivity

  5. Perception

Institution Categories:

• Category A: Includes Institutions of National Importance, State Universities, Deemed Universities, Private Universities, and Autonomous Institutions.

• Category B: Includes institutions that are affiliated with a university.

Rankings:

The NIRF ranks institutions annually in various categories, including:

• Overall Ranking

• University Ranking

• Engineering, College, Management, Pharmacy, Law, Agriculture, Architecture, Medical, and Research Institutions

NIRF's Role:

• The NIRF helps students make informed decisions regarding higher education.

• It also motivates institutions to enhance their educational standards and quality.

Key Changes for NIRF 2025:

In a major development, starting from the NIRF 2025, a new parameter will be introduced: Negative Scores for Retracted Papers.

• Negative Scoring for Retractions: Higher educational institutions will be penalized for having retracted academic papers and cited papers in their research publications.

  • Impact: The presence of retracted research papers can affect the institution's research credibility and quality.

  • Purpose: This measure aims to encourage institutions to maintain high standards of academic integrity and ethical research practices.

  • Time Frame: The new rule will affect publications retracted in the past three calendar years.

NIRF 2024 Highlights:

• Participation Growth: The number of institutions participating has grown by 86%, from 3,500 in 2015 to 6,500 in 2024.

Top Institutions in NIRF 2024:

1. Overall: IIT Madras has ranked 1st for 6 consecutive years (2019–2024).

2. Engineering: IIT Madras also ranked 1st in Engineering for the 9th consecutive year (2016–2024).

3. Universities: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has ranked 1st for 9 consecutive years (2016–2024).

4. Management: IIM Ahmedabad ranked 1st for 5 consecutive years (2020–2024).

5. Medical: AIIMS New Delhi ranked 1st for the 7th consecutive year (2018–2024).

6. Pharmacy: Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, ranked 1st in Pharmacy for 2024.

7. Law: National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, retained its 1st position in Law.

8. Dental: Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, ranked 1st in Dental.

9. Agriculture: Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, ranked 1st in Agriculture for 2nd consecutive year.

10. Architecture: IIT Roorkee maintained its 1st position in Architecture for the 4th consecutive year.

11. Innovation: IIT Kanpur tops in the Innovation category.

Key Significance of NIRF:

• Educational Benchmarking: NIRF is India's most significant and comprehensive mechanism for ranking higher education institutions, providing benchmarks across different sectors.

• Increased Participation: The growing number of institutions participating highlights the increasing importance of NIRF rankings for institutions in terms of reputation and credibility.

• Global Recognition: A high NIRF ranking helps institutions attract national and international students, faculty, and research opportunities.

The inclusion of negative scoring for retracted papers in NIRF rankings is a critical step in maintaining academic integrity. It sends a strong message to institutions to prioritize research ethics and ensures that only high-quality, credible work is reflected in their academic output.