Colleges In India

Top Colleges in India 2026 : Rankings, Courses, Fees, Placements

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Feb 05, 2026 11:05AM IST

Colleges in India: India has over 20,000 colleges offering courses in engineering, medicine, law, arts, and more. Top government colleges like IITs and AIIMS are known for excellence and low fees. Private colleges like BITS Pilani and VIT offer great facilities and modern education. Together, they support millions of students in different fields.

To join a college, students must finish 12th grade with good marks. For engineering, medical, and law courses, entrance exams like JEE, NEET, and CLAT. Postgraduate courses require a bachelor’s degree in the respective field, and doctoral programs demand a master’s degree along with research aptitude. Eligibility criteria may vary by institution and program, so students must check specific requirements before applying.

Top Colleges in India 2026 Highlights

Get a quick overview of the top colleges in India in the table below:

Particulars	Details
Number of Colleges	45,000+ (Government and Private)
Courses Offered	Diploma, UG, PG, Ph.D.
Popular Entrance Exams	JEE Main, JEE Advanced, NEET, CUET, CAT, CLAT, etc.
Top Colleges	IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, NITs, DU, BITS, VIT, etc.
Accreditation & Affiliation	UGC, AICTE, NAAC, NBA, MCI

Top Colleges in India 2026 Admission Process

Colleges in India offer admission in disciplines like Engineering, Medical, Arts, Science, Commerce, Management, Law, Design, and more. To get admission in the best Indian colleges, students need to choose their course and check eligibility.

For undergraduate programs like B.Tech, MBBS, B.A., B.Com, etc., students must have passed 10+2. For postgraduate programs like M.Tech, MBA, or M.Sc, students need to have a bachelor’s degree.

Most colleges require entrance exams for admission. We have listed down the national-level entrance exams that secure your chance to get admission in the Top colleges in India:

JEE Main/Advanced – For B.Tech programs in IITs, NITs
NEET – For MBBS/BDS and other medical courses
CUET UG/PG – For central universities like DU, BHU, JNU, etc.
CLAT – For Law programs
CAT – For MBA in IIMs and top B-Schools

These entrance exams require registration and online application fees, which range from INR 500 to INR 2500. Students have to appear for the exam, and based on merit and counselling, students get a seat in the top colleges.

Top Colleges in India 2026: Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility varies based on the type of course (Diploma, UG, PG, or PhD). Below are the general eligibility requirements:

For Diploma Courses

Must pass Class 10 from a recognized board.
Some technical diploma courses require entrance exams like the Polytechnic entrance.

For Undergraduate (UG) Courses

Students must pass 10+2 with required subjects.
For B.Tech: Physics, Chemistry, and Maths (PCM).
For MBBS: Physics, Chemistry, Biology (PCB).
For B.Com/BBA/BA: Any stream.
Minimum 50% marks in Class 12 (45% for reserved categories).
Some courses require national-level entrance exams like JEE, NEET, CUET, CLAT, etc.

For Postgraduate (PG) Courses

Students must hold a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
For MBA: Graduation with 50% and a CAT/MAT/CMAT score.
For M.Tech: B.Tech with GATE score.
For M.Sc, MA, M.Com: Graduation in related subjects.

For PhD Programs

Must have a Master's degree with a minimum of 55% marks.
Many universities require an entrance test and an interview for admission.

Top Courses Offered by Indian Colleges

Below is a list of some popular programs along with average duration and fee:

Course	Duration	Average Fee per Year (INR)
B.Tech	4 Years	₹60,000 – ₹2,50,000
MBBS	5.5 Years	₹10,000 – ₹12,00,000
BBA	3 Years	₹30,000 – ₹2,00,000
B.Com/BA	3 Years	₹5,000 – ₹1,00,000
LLB (UG/PG)	3/5 Years	₹20,000 – ₹2,00,000
B.Sc	3 Years	₹10,000 – ₹80,000
M.Tech	2 Years	₹60,000 – ₹2,00,000
MBA	2 Years	₹1,00,000 – ₹8,00,000

Note: Fees vary by college, stream, and location. Private institutions generally charge higher fees.

Top Colleges in India with NIRF Rankings 2023

Below is a list of top colleges as per NIRF Rankings (National Institutional Ranking Framework) across various fields:

College Name	Type	NIRF Ranking
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras	Government	1
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore	Government	2
IIT Delhi	Government	4
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi	Government	7
Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad	Government	1 (Management)
National Law School of India University, Bangalore	Government	1 (Law)
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi	Government	10
University of Delhi (DU) Colleges like SRCC, LSR	Government	15
BITS Pilani	Private	23
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT)	Private	19

Top Government Colleges in India 2026

College Name	Fee Range per Year (INR)
IIT Madras	₹2,00,000 – ₹2,50,000
IIT Bombay	₹2,00,000 – ₹2,50,000
AIIMS Delhi	₹10,000 – ₹30,000
JNU Delhi	₹5,000 – ₹20,000
Delhi University (SRCC, LSR, St. Stephen’s)	₹5,000 – ₹25,000
NIT Trichy	₹1,50,000 – ₹2,00,000
IIM Ahmedabad	₹8,00,000 – ₹12,00,000
NALSAR Hyderabad	₹2,00,000 – ₹2,50,000
Banaras Hindu University (BHU)	₹10,000 – ₹50,000

Note: These fees may vary. Students can get the actual fee from the college website.

Top Private Colleges in India 2026

College Name	Fee Range per Year (INR)
BITS Pilani	₹2,50,000 – ₹5,00,000
VIT Vellore	₹1,50,000 – ₹3,00,000
Amity University	₹2,00,000 – ₹4,00,000
Symbiosis International University	₹2,00,000 – ₹4,50,000
Ashoka University	₹7,00,000 – ₹9,00,000
Shiv Nadar University	₹3,00,000 – ₹6,00,000
Christ University, Bangalore	₹1,00,000 – ₹3,00,000
Manipal Academy of Higher Education	₹1,50,000 – ₹4,00,000

Note: These fees may vary. Students can get the actual fee from the college website.

Top Entrance Exams for Colleges in India

Various entrance exams are conducted at the national and state levels for admission into different UG and PG programs in India. Here are the popular ones:

JEE Main and Advanced

Joint Entrance Examination is the national-level engineering entrance exam for admission into NITs (JEE Main) and IITs (JEE Advanced). Conducted by NTA and IITs.

NEET

National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is conducted by NTA for MBBS, BDS, BAMS, and BHMS admissions across government and private medical colleges.

CUET (UG and PG)

Common University Entrance Test is conducted by NTA for admission into UG and PG programs at central universities like DU, BHU, JNU, and more.

CLAT

Common Law Admission Test is a national-level entrance exam for UG (BA LLB) and PG (LLM) law programs. Accepted by top law universities including NLUs.

CAT

Common Admission Test is conducted by IIMs for MBA admissions across IIMs and other top management institutes like FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, etc.

GATE

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering is conducted jointly by IITs and IISc for admission into M.Tech programs and PSU recruitment.