NIRF Movements: Biggest Climbers and Why They Improved

Introduction

Every year, when NIRF rankings drop, most of the conversation centres on the same names: IIT Madras at the top, IISc in research, IIM Ahmedabad in management. And yes they are exceptional. But if you really want to understand what is happening in Indian higher education, the most interesting story is not who stayed at the top. It is who moved.

NIRF rank movements reveal something rankings alone cannot: institutional ambition, strategic investment, and the willingness to compete in a rapidly evolving framework. A college that climbs 12 places in a year has made deliberate decisions about faculty, research, data governance, and student outcomes that deserve a closer look.

In this blog, we analyse the biggest climbers from NIRF 2024 and NIRF 2025, unpack the specific reasons behind their rise, and explain what these movements should mean when you are choosing a college.

Why Do NIRF Ranks Change Year to Year?

NIRF is not a static scorecard. It is a fiercely competitive, annually updated ranking exercise that has been growing in scope and participation every single year since its launch in 2015. Consider these numbers:

“In NIRF 2025, the introduction of negative marking for retracted papers raised the bar for research integrity. Institutions that had inflated their research scores through poor-quality publications saw immediate drops.”

This combination of intensifying competition and evolving criteria creates real opportunities for well-prepared institutions to leapfrog competitors and real risks for those that rely on past reputation without improving measurable outcomes.

The Biggest Climbers: NIRF 2024

The ninth edition of NIRF, released on August 12, 2024, saw several significant rank movements across categories. Here are the standout climbers:

University of Delhi – University Rank: 11 to 6

Delhi University’s jump from 11th to 6th in the university category was one of the most talked-about movements of NIRF 2024. It was DU’s return to the top 10 universities list for the first time since 2018 a full six-year gap finally bridged.

What drove it? DU’s Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh credited sustained teamwork across faculty and administration, but the score data tells a more specific story. The university recorded improvements in its publication and citation scores, faculty-student ratio, and number of graduating PhD students. Six DU colleges made it to the top 10 in the colleges category, with Hindu College claiming the number one spot unseating Miranda House, which had held that position for seven consecutive years. The breadth of improvement across DU’s constituent colleges signals a university-wide, coordinated NIRF strategy rather than isolated pockets of excellence.

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) – University Rank: 6 to 4

MAHE’s steady climb up the university rankings is the story of a private institution playing the long game. Moving from 6th to 4th in 2024, Manipal has consistently improved its research output, graduate outcomes, and institutional perception over successive NIRF cycles. Unlike some private universities that rely on strong placement numbers to carry their scores, MAHE has invested in research faculty and publication infrastructure, a harder path, but one that produces durable ranking gains rather than one-year spikes.

IIIT Hyderabad Engineering Rank: 55 to 47

IIIT Hyderabad’s jump of eight places in engineering entering the top 50 for the first time was primarily driven by a strong improvement in its TLR (Teaching, Learning & Resources) score. The institution’s focused investment in faculty quality, student strength including doctoral enrolments, and financial resource utilisation lifted its TLR performance meaningfully. For a specialised technology institution without the legacy funding of IITs, this kind of systematic improvement is a significant achievement.

The Biggest Climbers: NIRF 2025

NIRF 2025 the tenth edition, released on September 4, 2025 brought with it even more dramatic movements, particularly from private institutions. The headline story belongs to one institution above all others:

BITS Pilani The Most Dramatic Multi-Category Leap

BITS Pilani’s performance in NIRF 2025 was, without question, the most remarkable rank movement story of the year. The institute did not climb in one category it surged across all of them simultaneously:

•       University category: 19th to 7th entering the top 10 for the first time ever
•       Engineering category: 20th to 11th becoming India’s top-ranked private engineering college
•       Overall category: 23rd to 16th its best-ever overall showing
•       Research category: 26th to 18th

Here is BITS Pilani’s engineering rank trajectory over five years a steady, deliberate climb:

“BITS Pilani’s perception score jumped from 19.68 to 49.19 in one year, nearly 150% growth signalling a dramatic shift in how the academic world views the institute.”

IIT Hyderabad Breaks into Engineering Top 10

IIT Hyderabad’s entry into the top 10 engineering colleges, pushing IIT Guwahati down to eighth, reflects the newer IITs steadily maturing into full-scale research and teaching institutions. IIT Hyderabad has consistently focused on interdisciplinary research, strong PhD programmes, and faculty from top global universities investments that now show clearly in its NIRF scores.

University of Delhi Consolidates at Top 5

Building on its 2024 momentum, Delhi University further consolidated its position, moving from 6th to 5th in the university category in 2025. The continued improvement in publication scores, faculty-student ratio, and quality of publications suggests DU’s upward trajectory is structural rather than a one-year statistical anomaly.

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What Actually Drives a Rank Jump? The Common Threads

Across every significant NIRF climber whether it is BITS Pilani, Delhi University, or IIIT Hyderabad the same patterns appear. Rank jumps are never accidental. Here is what they have in common:

1. Research Output That Is Both Bigger and Better

Every major climber showed improvement in the RP parameter specifically in publications, citations, and research project funding. Crucially, it is not just volume that matters. NIRF 2025 introduced negative marking for retracted papers and self-citations, meaning institutions can no longer pad their research scores with low-quality output. The climbers are those who published more in high-impact journals and attracted genuine citations from other researchers.

2. Perception Score Improvements

The perception parameter, which captures how employers and academic peers view an institution, is often underestimated. Yet for BITS Pilani, it was the single biggest score mover in 2025. Improving perception requires sustained investment in visibility research publications that get noticed, alumni who perform well in industry, and industry collaborations that generate press coverage and professional reputation.

3. Faculty-Student Ratio and PhD Strength

Almost every climbing institution showed improvements in their TLR sub-parameters, specifically in the faculty-student ratio and the number of PhD students enrolled. Hiring more permanent faculty with doctoral qualifications directly lifts TLR scores, and a larger PhD cohort improves both SS (student strength) and RP (research output from doctoral work).

4. Institutional Strategy and Data Governance

This is the factor that rarely gets discussed openly but matters enormously. Institutions that climb consistently are those that treat NIRF preparation as a year-round institutional function  not a last-minute data submission exercise. They track their sub-parameter scores, identify gaps, and direct investments accordingly. The colleges that stagnate are often those submitting incomplete or unstrategic data, or those that have not connected NIRF performance to internal incentive structures for faculty and departments.

What Rank Movements Tell Students

Here is something most rank-browsing students miss entirely: a climbing college is often a better bet than a stagnant college at a higher absolute rank. Why? Because a climbing college is making active investments in the very things that improve student outcomes: research infrastructure, faculty quality, placement ecosystems, and industry relationships.

When evaluating colleges, look at rank trends over three to five years, not just the current number. A college that has gone from rank 40 to rank 22 over five years is telling you something important about its direction. A college that has sat at rank 22 for five years may have reached a ceiling. Ask these questions:

• Is the college improving in RP (research), or only in TLR (teaching infrastructure)?
• Has its perception score gone up meaning employers are noticing it more?
• Has it improved graduation outcomes (placements and PhD numbers)?
• Is the improvement spread across parameters, or is it a spike in just one area?

A balanced, multi-parameter rise like BITS Pilani’s in 2025 signals genuine institutional growth. A spike in just one sub-parameter (say, perception) without corresponding academic improvements can be fragile. Read the score breakdowns, not just the headline rank.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Why do some colleges improve dramatically in NIRF in a single year?
Dramatic single-year jumps usually reflect a combination of sustained multi-year investments finally reaching scoring thresholds, plus improvements in a high-weightage sub-parameter like perception or research output. In some cases, better data submission and NIRF strategy also play a role in institutions that previously underreported their activities suddenly score more accurately.

Q2. Is BITS Pilani now better than IITs according to NIRF?
NIRF 2025 made BITS Pilani the top-ranked private engineering institution in India and placed it in the top 10 universities. However, IITs (Madras, Delhi, Bombay, Kanpur, Kharagpur) still occupy the top five engineering slots. BITS Pilani’s achievement is that it has closed the gap substantially and now stands clearly above all other private institutions.

Q3. Does a higher NIRF rank guarantee better placements?
Not directly. NIRF ranks Graduation Outcomes (including placements) as only 20% of the total score. A college can rank high in NIRF due to strong research and teaching scores while having average placements, and vice versa. Always check the detailed NIRF score breakdown — specifically the GO parameter  alongside placement data.

Q4. How can I check whether a college’s rank has been improving over time?
Visit the official NIRF website at nirfindia.org and search for the institution under any category. The site shows scores across all five parameters for the current year. For year-wise comparison, third-party analyses by KPMG India (published annually) provide detailed rank movement data across categories.

Conclusion

NIRF rank movements are one of the most revealing pieces of data in Indian higher education yet most students and parents scroll right past them. The biggest climbers in 2024 and 2025 did not get lucky. They invested in research quality, faculty strength, doctoral programmes, and institutional strategy over multiple years, and the rankings rewarded that investment.
For students, the lesson is clear: do not just look at where a college is ranked today. Look at where it was three years ago, and where it appears to be heading. A college on a strong upward trajectory is investing in its future — which means it is also investing in yours.
Before finalising your college shortlist, dig into the NIRF score trends. Look at parameter-wise breakdowns. Compare rank movements across years. And if you want personalised guidance on making sense of it all, Career Plan B is here to help.

Choosing a college is one of the most consequential decisions of your life. Make sure it is data-driven, not just rank-driven.