NIRF scores engineering institutions on five weighted parameters: teaching and resources (30%), research (30%), graduation outcomes (20%), outreach and inclusivity (10%) and perception (10%). IIT Madras topped the engineering list in both 2024 and 2025. Use the rank as a quality floor and a starting point, not the final word: it ranks the whole institution, not your branch.
Is NIRF 2024 still the latest ranking?
No. NIRF 2025 was released by the Ministry of Education on 4 September 2025, and it is the newest edition we have checked. As of mid-October 2026 the NIRF portal still lists 2025 as its latest ranking year, so look there for the 2026 edition before relying on any figure below. The method is the same in both years, so everything in this guide about reading the list still applies.
How NIRF scores engineering colleges
Source: NIRF engineering methodology. Bars show the weight of each parameter in the final engineering score.
The engineering list ranks the top 100 individually and then places further institutions in bands (101–150, 151–200 and 201–300).
Top 10 engineering institutions, NIRF 2024 and 2025
| Rank | NIRF 2024 | NIRF 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IIT Madras | IIT Madras |
| 2 | IIT Delhi | IIT Delhi |
| 3 | IIT Bombay | IIT Bombay |
| 4 | IIT Kanpur | IIT Kanpur |
| 5 | IIT Kharagpur | IIT Kharagpur |
| 6 | IIT Roorkee | IIT Roorkee |
| 7 | IIT Guwahati | IIT Hyderabad |
| 8 | IIT Hyderabad | IIT Guwahati |
| 9 | NIT Tiruchirappalli | NIT Tiruchirappalli |
| 10 | IIT (BHU) Varanasi | IIT (BHU) Varanasi |
Source: NIRF India Rankings 2024 and 2025, engineering category.
IIT Madras has been first in engineering every year since NIRF began in 2016: 2024 was its ninth year in a row at the top and 2025 its tenth.
Karnataka in the NIRF engineering list
| Institution | NIRF 2024 | NIRF 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| NITK Surathkal | 17 | 17 |
| Manipal Institute of Technology | 56 | 59 |
| IIIT Bangalore | 74 | 69 |
| MSRIT | 75 | 75 |
| RVCE | 99 | 101–150 band |
Source: NIRF engineering rankings 2024 and 2025. Other Karnataka names in the 2025 top 100 include Christ University (76), IIT Dharwad (77) and Jain University (84).
IISc Bangalore is not in the engineering list at all: it was ranked first among universities and first among research institutions in both 2024 and 2025.
How to read the NIRF list
Don't fixate on the absolute rank. Scores between roughly rank 30 and 50 sit close together, so a few places either way is often noise. Look at the score, not just the rank, and check whether a college stays in the same band over several years.
Brand value is perception built over decades. The NIRF rank reflects current performance on the five parameters. Both matter.
NIRF's limits
The ranking is driven by its method. Small institutions can sometimes score well because of favourable ratios, and newer IITs and NITs may rank lower despite strong research per faculty member. Participation is voluntary, so an unranked college is not automatically a weak one, and the rank says nothing about your particular branch.
A practical way to use NIRF
- As a quality floor. A rough guide: top 50 is tier 1, 50–150 tier 2, beyond 150 tier 3.
- As a comparison reference between colleges you are already considering.
- As a trend indicator, by comparing a college's rank and score over three or four editions.
- Not as the only criterion. Check branch-wise placements, fees and approval as well.
If you are just starting out, our guide on how to choose a college after 12th puts rankings alongside the other checks. Recent editions have come out between June and September (August in 2024, September in 2025), so for 2027 admissions keep an eye on the NIRF portal for the newest list before you finalise choices.