Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 4
There was positive news for Nagaland’s lone central university as well as its only ‘Institute of National Importance’ in the latest National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) India Rankings 2025, released by the Union Minister of Education on September 4.
Nagaland University (NU), after failing for two consecutive years to feature in the top 200 in the ‘University’ category, re-entered the rankings in the 151–200 band. NU had achieved its best performance in 2018 when it was ranked 95th among the top 100 universities in India.
However, its standing declined in subsequent years, moving out of the top-200 in 2023 and 2024. The latest ranking thus marks a positive development for the lone central university in the State.
Similarly, the Chümoukedima-based National Institute of Technology (NIT) Nagaland improved its position to feature among the top 150 engineering institutes in India, placing in the 101–150 rank band. NIT Nagaland had re-entered the rankings in the 151–200 band in 2024 and has now advanced further in 2025.
The State’s only ‘Institute of National Importance’ first appeared in the 151–200 rank band in 2017, but its performance fluctuated before returning to the rankings in 2024.
Incidentally, Patkai Christian College Autonomous which had progressed to the 101–150 rank band in the ‘College’ category in 2024, was placed outside the top 300 colleges in India this year. Having first entered the rankings in 2023, the 2025 outcome marks a surprising decline.
A total of 11 colleges from Nagaland participated in the College’ category.
Key national highlights
In an official release, the Ministry informed that over 14,000 institutions participated in the 2025 rankings and one category and three subject domains in 2017, the NIRF have now expanded to nine categories and eight subject domains.
Among the highlights, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras retained the top position in the Overall Category for the seventh consecutive year (2019–2025) and in Engineering for the tenth consecutive year (2016–2025). The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru and IIT Bombay followed in second and third place.
IISc Bengaluru also topped the Universities Category for the tenth consecutive year (2016–2025) and led the Research Institutions Category for the fifth consecutive year (2021–2025). Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, ranked second, while Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, secured third place in the Universities Category.
IIM Ahmedabad led the Management Category for the sixth consecutive year, followed by IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, continued to dominate the Medical Category for the eighth consecutive year (2018–2025) and also stood 8th in the Overall Category. The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, and Christian Medical College, Vellore, were ranked third and fourth respectively.
In the Colleges Category, Hindu College retained first place for the second consecutive year, with Miranda House and Hans Raj College, both from Delhi, in second and third positions.
