The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Engineering Rankings 2026 are yet to be released, with the Ministry of Education expected to announce the publication date soon.
While the new rankings remain awaited, an analysis of the official lists from 2023 to 2025 shows that several engineering institutions recorded notable improvements in their national positions.
IIT Patna, BITS Pilani, IIIT Hyderabad and SRM Institute of Science and Technology were among the institutions that made substantial gains during this period, even as IIT Madras, IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay retained the top three positions.
IIT Patna recorded a significant improvement, moving from Rank 41 in 2023 to Rank 34 in 2024 before reaching Rank 19 in 2025.
The institute gained 22 positions between 2023 and 2025, entering the top 20 in the latest published rankings.
BITS Pilani also moved up considerably. The institute was ranked 25th in 2023 and 20th in 2024 before reaching Rank 11 in 2025, an improvement of 14 positions over the three years.
Among private engineering institutions, SRM Institute of Science and Technology moved from Rank 28 in 2023 to Rank 13 in 2024. It subsequently stood at Rank 14 in 2025, retaining much of its earlier gain.
IIIT Hyderabad showed a consistent upward movement, improving from Rank 55 in 2023 to Rank 47 in 2024 and Rank 38 in 2025.
The institute gained 17 positions over the period.
IIT Patna: Rank 41 (2023), 34 (2024), 19 (2025)
IIIT Hyderabad: Rank 55, 47, 38
SRM Institute of Science and Technology: Rank 28, 13, 14
BITS Pilani: Rank 25, 20, 11
NIT Rourkela: Rank 16, 19, 13
IIT Hyderabad: Rank 8, 8, 7
Despite changes elsewhere in the rankings, the first three positions remained unchanged throughout the period.
IIT Madras secured Rank 1 in all three years, followed by IIT Delhi at Rank 2 and IIT Bombay at Rank 3.
NIT Tiruchirappalli also maintained Rank 9 in the engineering category from 2023 to 2025.
NIRF evaluates institutions using parameters covering teaching and learning resources, research, graduation outcomes, outreach and inclusivity, and perception.
Changes in rank reflect an institution's relative position in a particular year's assessment. They do not, by themselves, establish whether placements, teaching standards or infrastructure have improved.
The three-year comparison provides a reference point for students awaiting the NIRF Engineering Rankings 2026. However, the previous results cannot be used to predict where individual institutions will rank this year.
The official rankings will be available at nirfindia.org once released.
