Will IIT Madras stay at the top spot in NIRF Rankings 2025? A look at its performance in this ranking over the last three years

On August 12, 2024, the Ministry of Education announced the ninth edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024, and it came as no surprise that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras was sitting at the top spot in the overall category. In fact, this marked the sixth time IIT Madras retained its position as the top institute of the country in the NIRF Ranking 2024. Additionally, it was the ninth time IIT Madras was crowned as the best institute in the engineering category.
As the Indian Ranking 2025 Data Capturing System (DCS) window is now live, the question arises: "Will IIT Madras take the crown once again?" While we will have to wait for the results of the NIRF Rankings 2025 next year, let’s take a look at how this prestigious IIT has performed in the last three years across various categories.
The Ministry of Education ranks institutes based on five parameters: Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR), Research and Professional Practices (RPC), Graduation Outcomes (GO), Outreach and Inclusivity (OI), and Perception (PER). IIT Madras received the following scores in the 2022, 2023, and 2024 reports.

In the 2024 rankings, IIT Madras secured the top position in both the 'Overall Rankings' and 'Engineering Category'. The institute also ranked second in both the 'Research Category' and 'Innovation Category
Overall Category
In the NIRF Overall category, IIT Madras shines with a perfect score of 100 in Perception, reflecting its stellar reputation. It performs strongly in Teaching, Learning, and Resources (88.37) and Graduation Outcomes (85.76), while Research and Professional Practices (87.30) also demonstrate excellence. However, improvement is needed in Outreach and Inclusivity (65.68).

Research Category
In the NIRF Research category, IIT Madras excels in Research and Professional Practices (90.30) and Perception (91.39), highlighting its strong research output and global reputation. The institute shows moderate performance in Teaching, Learning, and Resources (85.57) and Graduation Outcomes (78.65), but could improve in Outreach and Inclusivity (63.59).

Engineering Category
IIT Madras has performed exceptionally well in the NIRF Engineering category, with a perfect score of 100 in Perception, reflecting its strong reputation. It also excels in Teaching, Learning, and Resources (95.79), Research and Professional Practices (93.10), and Graduation Outcomes (81.07), though it could improve in Outreach and Inclusivity (65.85).


In the 2023 NIRF Rankings, IIT Madras secured the top position in both the 'Overall Category' and 'Engineering Category', while the institute ranked second in both the 'Research Category' and 'Innovation Category
Overall category
In the NIRF Overall category, IIT Madras excels with a perfect score of 100 in Perception, underscoring its strong reputation. It also performs well in Research and Professional Practices (89.88) and Graduation Outcomes (87.22). However, there is room for improvement in Outreach and Inclusivity (63.59) and Teaching, Learning, and Resources (86.45).

Research Category
In the NIRF Research category, IIT Madras excels in Research and Professional Practices (90.38) and Perception (91.39), reflecting its strong research output and global recognition. It performs moderately in Teaching, Learning, and Resources (85.57) and Graduation Outcomes (78.65), while its Outreach and Inclusivity (63.59) could see significant improvement.

Engineering Category
In the NIRF Engineering category, IIT Madras excels with perfect scores in Perception (100) and strong performance in Research and Professional Practices (96.41). It also ranks well in Teaching, Learning, and Resources (95.19). However, there is room for improvement in Graduation Outcomes (79.89) and Outreach and Inclusivity (63.26).


In the 2022 NIRF Rankings, IIT Madras secured the top position in both the 'Overall Category' and the 'Engineering Category', while the institute ranked second in the 'Research Category'. The 'Innovation' category was not included in the NIRF Rankings 2022.
Overall Category
In the NIRF Overall category, IIT Madras excels with high scores in Research and Professional Practices (91.98) and Graduation Outcomes (89.36), demonstrating strong academic and career results. While it scores well in Teaching, Learning, and Resources (86.56), its Outreach and Inclusivity (62.95) and Perception (99.75) show areas for improvement.

Research Category
In the NIRF Research category, IIT Madras performs strongly in Research and Professional Practices (92.68) and Teaching, Learning, and Resources (90.08), reflecting its solid academic and research foundation. However, it shows moderate performance in Graduation Outcomes (81.20) and Perception (89.30), with potential for improvement in Outreach and Inclusivity (63.80).

Engineering Category
In the NIRF Engineering category, IIT Madras excels with perfect scores in Perception (100) and strong performance in Research and Professional Practices (97.66). It also scores well in Teaching, Learning, and Resources (94.62). However, there is room for improvement in Graduation Outcomes (80.42) and Outreach and Inclusivity (62.85).

In the NIRF rankings of 2022, 2023, and 2024, IIT Madras has consistently secured top positions in both the ‘Overall Category’ and ‘Engineering Category’, maintaining a strong reputation in areas like Perception, Research, and Teaching. While it faces challenges in improving Outreach and Inclusivity, its performance in Research and Professional Practices remains commendable. Given its consistent excellence and the improvements made each year, IIT Madras is well-positioned to retain its top spot in the 2025 rankings, provided it continues strengthening its performance across all parameters, especially Outreach and Inclusivity.