NIRF 2025 Ranking: Check Out Key Additions and Changes Introduced This Year
Ayush Sharma
Published On - Oct 10, 2025 03:14PM IST
The National Institutional Ranking Framework is expected to release its rankings soon. From this year, there will be some changes in the ranking system. New elements, such as the Sustainable Development Goal, will be in focus while assessing any college. This shows the growing focus on sustainable initiatives and practices of institutes.
The NIRF rankings release multiple lists of top colleges and universities in categories such as management, engineering, law, medicine, etc. These rankings are based on the academic resources provided by the institute, infrastructure, facilities, faculty, and placement opportunities provided to graduating students.
Students from all over the country and world refer to these rankings while taking admission. Each college has to register and submit the required documents to participate in this ranking system. All these institutes have the NIRF report on their official website. Aspiring candidates can check it out to know the institute’s intake, graduation outcome, academic resources, and faculty strength, along with a rating.
NIRF 2025 Major Changes And Updates
The NIRF has made some crucial changes in their ranking system based on elements such as a formula for negative weighting, transparency in data, ranking parameters etc. Read the following table for a list of the changes that are made by the NIRF for this year’s rankings.
Major Change
Details
New Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Category
Added to evaluate institutions on social and environmental responsibility.
Negative Marking for Retracted Research Papers
For the first time, institutions receive negative marks for retracted publications under the "Research and Professional Practices" parameter.
Formula for Negative Weightage
A formula calculates penalties based on the number or percentage of retracted papers; penalties are minor initially but will increase over time.
Transparency and Data Disclosure
Institutions must publicly upload detailed datasets on faculty, students, finances, research, citations, patents, and infrastructure.
Ranking Parameters
Five broad parameters: Teaching, Learning & Resources; Research and Professional Practices; Graduation Outcomes; Outreach and Inclusivity; Perception.
Revision of Faculty-Student Ratio
Changed to 1:10 for medical institutions and 1:20 for State Public Universities (introduced in 2024).
New Institutional Categories (introduced in 2024)
Separate categories for Open Universities and State Public Universities.
Innovation and Sustainability Focus (2024)
Added focus on innovation and sustainability efforts, including influence from the G20 Mission LiFE.
Multiple Entry/Exit Systems and Regional Language Instruction
The framework considers institutional efforts to implement these.
Legal Scrutiny and Reliability Concerns
Temporary restraint by the Madras High Court on publishing 2025 rankings due to transparency and data verification concerns.
