Top 10 Universities of India based on Latest NIRF Rankings 2023

NIRF, the government ranking body for higher educational institutions, has released its list of the top universities, colleges and institutes for further education in June, 2023. A number of private and public universities have emerged as being the leaders in the higher educational sector among over 1000 total universities in India. 

If you want to know about the latest top universities of the nation where you can seek admission for your further educational journey, then this blog is just the right choice for you. 

Read further to find relevant details about the top 10 universities of India, their courses, student services and fee ranges. 

Top Universities of India Based on NIRF Universities Ranking (2023)

The National Institutional Ranking Framework, more commonly known as the NIRF, is a national ranking body for higher educational institutions that was established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in 2015. The body provides rankings of the top institutions and universities across various disciplines. With the latest rankings of the NIRF being released for 2023, a number of universities in the public and private sectors have emerged as the best of the nation. 

The NIRF ranks the universities on the basis of a number of crucial factors such as:

• Educational Courses and Curricula
• Financial Resources and their Utilisation
• Student Services
• Infrastructural Facilities
• Research Contributions
• Faculty Profiles
• Faculty to Student Ratio
• Student Strength of the University (including doctoral scholars)
• Placement Services etc. 

Based on the overall evaluation on such parameters, the NIRF provides a score for the universities and releases its national ranking of the universities. In the 2023 rankings, the top 10 universities that have emerged as eminent in India include 7 public sector and 3 private sector universities out of a total of over 1000 universities in India. 

Given below is the list of the top 10 universities of India as have been ranked by the NIRF in the "Universities" category (2023). 

University	NIRF Universities Rank (2023)	City, State
Indian Institute of Science	1	Bengaluru, Karnataka
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)	2	New Delhi, Delhi
Jamia Millia Islamia	3	New Delhi, Delhi
Jadavpur University	4	Kolkata, West Bengal
Banaras Hindu University (BHU)	5	Banaras, Uttar Pradesh
Manipal Academy of Higher Education-Manipal (MAHE)	6	Mainpal, Karnataka
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham	7	Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT)	8	Vellore, Tamil Nadu
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)	9	Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh
University of Hyderabad (UoH)	10	Hyderabad, Telangana

Top 10 Best Universities of India (Based on NIRF Rankings 2023)

Further key details about India's top 10 universities have been provided below:

1) Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a central public university located in Bengaluru that was started in 1909, pre-independence, and has over a century of experience in extending elite education to students in domains pertaining to physical and life sciences. The university is a NAAC-rated ‘A’ grade institution, and is also recognised by the UGC and AIU. IISc Bengaluru offers a number of courses such as UG degrees, GIAN and NPTEL courses, MOOCs etc. to enable both classroom and remote learning. Scholarships, fellowships, financial aids as well as placements are available for this course. 

Find more details about IISc University Bangalore here. 

University Approvals	UGC, NAAC ‘A’ Grade, NIRF Rank 1 (Universities Category, 023), AIU etc.
City	Bengaluru
Type of Institution	Central Governmental
Major Subject Areas of Course	Biological Sciences Chemical Sciences Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Science (EECS) Interdisciplinary Sciences Mechanical Sciences Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Type of Courses Offered	UG Degree Courses GIAN Courses NPTEL Courses MOOCs
Average Fee Range	INR 90,000 to INR 8,80,000 (Approximate Range)
Scholarship & Financial Aid	Available
Placement Services	Available

2) Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), established in 1969, is an acclaimed university of India located in the national capital of New Delhi. Ranked as the second best university of India as of 2023 by the NIRF, JNU boasts of a stellar faculty, a sociopolitically active and aware learning environment, infrastructurally advanced campus and classrooms and excellent placements post-education completion.

JNU is a UGC-recognised and NAAC-graded ‘A’ grade university of India. Students interested in a number of domains, ranging from pure sciences, social sciences, liberal arts, management, engineering etc can seek education at the UG, PG, doctoral or vocational level at JNU. Being a public central university, the courses at JNU are quite affordable in terms of their fee structure along with available financial aid and scholarships. The placement records and average packages of placements at JNU have been consistently quite appealing and satisfactory. More details about JNU have been provided here. 

University Approvals	UGC, NAAC ‘A’ Grade, NIRF Rank 2 in Universities Category (2023) etc.
City	New Delhi
Type of Institution	Central Government
Major Subject Areas of Course	International Languages  Social Sciences Language, Literature & Culture Studies Computer & Systems Sciences Environmental Sciences Life Sciences Physical Sciences  Arts and Aesthetics Biotechnology Management & Entrepreneurship  Nano Sciences Engineering etc.
Type of Courses Offered	Part-Time Program  PG Diploma  UG Degree PG Degree  Ph.D Program
Average Fee Range	INR 20,000 to INR 12,00,000 (Approximate Range)
Scholarship & Financial Aid	Available
Placement Services	Available

3) Jamia Millia Islamia

Jamia Millia Islamia University is a central public university of India established in New Delhi in 1920. Not only is Jamia Millia one of India’s oldest universities, it continues to be a highly acclaimed university of the country even today. It is recognised by the UGC, AICTE, NBA and is also a NAAC-rated A++ university of India. The common domains in which courses are offered in JMI include fine arts, liberal arts, dentistry, architecture, engineering etc.

Students can pursue courses at various levels per the requirement, including UG and PG degrees, diplomas, certifications, advanced diplomas and Ph.Ds. scholarships and other financial aids are also provided as part of the course to enable a larger number of students to take the course up. Placements at JMI are also quite satisfactory as students graduating from this university get placed with lucrative packages in various domains. 

Further key details about Jamia Millia Islamia University here. 

University Approvals	UGC, AICTE, NBA, NIRF Rank 3 in Universities Category (2023), NAAC A++ Grade etc.
City	New Delhi
Type of Institution	Central Governmental
Major Subject Areas of Course	Fine Arts  Engineering & Technology  Architecture & Ekistics  Dentistry  Educational Studies
Type of Courses Offered	School Programs  UG Degrees PG Degrees Certificate Programs Diploma Programs  PG Diplomas Advanced Diploma Programs Doctoral Programs
Average Fee Range	INR 40,000 to INR 2,00,000 (Approximate Range)
Scholarship & Financial Aid	Available
Placement Services	Available

4) Jadavpur University

Established in 1955, Jadavpur University has emerged as one of the leading universities for higher education in engineering, arts and science-related disciplines. The major accreditations and rankings in the basket of Jadavpur University include those like UGC, membership of AIU, NAAC-grade (‘A’) etc.

It is also the fourth best university of India as per the NIRF rankings of 2023. Jadavpur University offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, M.Phil and Ph.D to students. The fee range for the various courses ranges from INR 5000 to INR 3 lakhs depending upon the level of the course and subject domain. Placement services, scholarships and fellowships are available at Jadavpur University. 

Find more essential details about the university here. 

University Approvals	UGC, AIU, NAAC ‘A’ Grade, NIRF Rank 4 in Universities Category (2023) etc.
City	Kolkata
Type of Institution	State Governmental
Major Subject Areas of Course	Arts  Science  Engineering & Technology
Type of Courses Offered	UG Degree  PG Degree  M.Phil  Ph.D
Average Fee Range	INR 5000 to INR 3,00,000 (Approximate Range)
Scholarship & Financial Aid	Available
Placement Services	Available

5) Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is a central university located in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. It was established in 1916, and has been declared as an institution of eminence by the Government of India (GoI). The accreditations of BHU include those like UGC, AIU etc. along with a NAAC-rated ‘A’ grade.

The university provides UG and PG degrees, diplomas, certifications as well as doctoral programs in a number of domains ranging from medicine, arts, commerce to environmental sustainability, performing arts, visual arts etc. Higher education in BHU is quite affordable and pocket-friendly, majorly in order to ensure students from diverse backgrounds can take up higher education. Placements are also offered at BHU, with a large number of students getting placed each year with appealing pay packages. 

Find more details about the courses and the university below.   

University Approvals	UGC, NAAC ‘A’ Grade, AIU, NIRF Rank 5 in Universities Category (2023) etc.
City	Banaras
Type of Institution	Central Governmental
Major Subject Areas of Course	Science  Medical Science  Agricultural Science  Arts  Commerce  Law  Educational Studies  Environment and Sustainability  Performing Arts  Visual Arts  Sanskrit  Social Science  Management Studies
Type of Courses Offered	UG Degree PG Degree Diploma Programs  Certificate Courses Ph.D
Average Fee Range	INR 7000 to INR 2,50,000 (Approximate Range)
Scholarship & Financial Aid	Available
Placement Services	Available

6) Manipal Academy of Higher Education-Manipal (MAHE)

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) is a private university in Manipal, Karnataka that was established in 1953. With a number of colleges, departments and branches under its functioning, MAHE has accreditations from a number of statutory bodies such as UGC, NABH, NBA, AICTE etc.

Courses offered at MAHE pertain to the domains of health, medicine, liberal arts, sciences, technology, management etc. Students can pursue diplomas, degrees, certificate courses, doctorates or even super specialty courses from MAHE, and the additional placement services of the university ensure that students can explore top career opportunities after completing their course. 

More details about Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) have been provided below. 

University Approvals	UGC, NABH, NBA, AICTE, NIRF Rank 6 in Universities Category (2023) etc.
City	Manipal
Type of Institution	Private
Major Subject Areas of Course	Health  Medical Studies  Design and Communication  Mass Communication  Humanities  Liberal Arts  Social Sciences  Science  Technology  Management etc.
Type of Courses Offered	UG Degree PG Degree  Diploma Courses Certification Courses Post Masters Courses Ph.D Lateral Entry Courses Super Speciality Courses
Average Fee Range	INR 25,000 to INR 70,00,000
Scholarship & Financial Aid	Available
Placement Services	Available

7) Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is one of southern India’s leading universities and centres for higher education. It was established in Coimbatore in 1994 and is currently an A++ university that is also recognised by the UGC, AICTE, NABH etc. The major areas in which Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham offers higher education include liberal arts, science, commerce and management, engineering and technology, medicine and Ayurveda, mass communication as well as social sciences.

Students willing to take up education in the form of degrees at the UG and PG levels, diplomas and certificates, fellowships, online courses, integrated courses etc. can consider this university as it is one of India’ eminent higher educational institutions. Added to the educational comprehensiveness, top rankings and faculty profile of the university are its student services, infrastructural facilities and placements, all of which make educational experience at Amrita a holistic and comprehensive experience for development. 

Find more details about the university and its courses enlisted below. 

University Approvals	UGC, AICTE, NAAC A++ Grade, NIRF Rank 7 in Universities Category (2023), NABH etc.
City	Coimbatore
Type of Institution	Private
Major Subject Areas of Course	Arts  Science  Commerce  Management  Ayurveda Mass Communication  Medicine  Engineering  Social Sciences etc.
Type of Courses Offered	UG Degrees  PG Degrees  Doctoral Programs  Fellowship Programs  Integrated Degrees Certificate Courses Online Courses
Average Fee Range	INR 4,00,000 to INR 12,00,000 (Approximate Range)
Scholarship & Financial Aid	Available
Placement Services	Available

8) Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT)

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university for technological education in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. It was established in 1984 as the Vellore Engineering College and as of 2023, has accreditations such as those from UGC and AICTE. It is an A++ university of India as per the ratings of NAAC and is the eighth top university in the NIRF rankings of 2023.

VIT Vellore offers degree courses at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels to students in areas such as advanced sciences, engineering, management, biosciences, arts, commerce, hotel and tourism management etc. The courses at VIT are placement-integrated, with satisfactorily high returns on investment. 

Find further key details about VIT given below. 

University Approvals	UGC, AICTE, NAAC A++ Grade, NIRF Rank 8 in Universities Category etc.
City	Vellore
Type of Institution	Private
Major Subject Areas of Course	Advanced Sciences  Information Technology (IT) Engineering  Linguistics  Social Sciences  Arts  Commerce  Management Studies  Biosciences  Hotel and Tourism Management  Architecture
Type of Courses Offered	UG Degree  PG Degree
Average Fee Range	INR 1,70,000 to INR 4,00,000 (Approximate Range)
Scholarship & Financial Aid	Available
Placement Services	Available

9) Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)

Aligarh Muslim University is a central public university established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the “Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College” in 1875. In 1920, it was renamed as the Aligarh Muslim University. In contemporary times, AMU is regarded as a prestigious and eminent university for higher education across India. Not only is it well-acclaimed, it is also well-accredited, with bodies like the UGC, NAAC and NIRF recognising it as one of the top HEIs of India. The domains of disciplines in which AMU offers courses includes linguistics, biochemistry, cardiology, liberal arts, fine arts, medicine, law etc. Degrees, diplomas, advanced diplomas, doctoral programs as well as certifications are offered at AMU for PG and UG aspirants to pursue. Major student services at AMU include mentorship by expert faculty, industrial interactions and practical exposure to students, financial aid through scholarships and fellowships, placements etc. 

Further details about AMU and the various programs offered here have been given below. 

University Approvals	UGC, NAAC A+ Grade, NIRF Rank 9 in Universities Category etc.
City	Aligarh
Type of Institution	Central Governmental
Major Subject Areas of Course	Sciences Biochemistry  Cardiology  Linguistics  Business Administration  Liberal Arts  Fine Arts  Educational Studies  Medicine  Law etc.
Type of Courses Offered	UG Degree  PG Degree Doctoral Programs  Diploma  Advance Diploma etc.
Average Fee Range	INR 15,000 to INR 11,00,000 (Approximate Fee Range)
Scholarship & Financial Aid	Available
Placement Services	Available

10) University of Hyderabad (UoH)

The University of Hyderabad (UoH) was founded in 1974 and is a central government university. The university has accreditations from UGC, AICTE as well as ARIIA. It is a NAAC-rated ‘A’ grade university, with over 12 schools in domains like mathematics, physics, life sciences, computer and information science, humanities, medical sciences, social sciences etc.

Being a research-based public university, UoH provides excellent exposure to students to national and international research practices and standards. The highly experienced faculty and visiting lecturers are another distinguishing feature of UoH. Placement services are also extended by UoH after course completion, with satisfactorily high RoIs. 

Given below are further details about the University of Hyderabad. 

University Approvals	UGC, NAAC ‘A’ Grade, ARIIA, NIRF Rank 10 in Universities Category (2023), AICTE etc.
City	Hyderabad
Type of Institution	Central Governmental
Major Subject Areas of Course	Mathematics  Physics  Chemistry  Life Sciences  Social Sciences  Computer and Information Sciences  Humanities  Medical Sciences  Management Studies  Economics  Arts and Communication
Type of Courses Offered	UG Degree PG Degree  Certification Courses Diploma Courses Ph.D
Average Fee Range	INR 30,000 to INR 5,00,000 (Approximate Fee Range)
Scholarship & Financial Aid	Available
Placement Services	Available

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Other Top Universities of India based on NIRF Rankings (2023)

Given below is a list of the universities of India that have emerged in the top 11-20 ranking band in the NIRF (2023) rankings. 

University	City, State	NIRF Universities Rank (2023)
University of Delhi (UoD)	New Delhi, Delhi	11
Calcutta University (CU)	Kolkata, West Bengal	12
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences	Chennai, Tamil Nadu	13
Anna University	Chennai, Tamil Nadu	14
Siksha `O` Anusandhan	Bhubaneswar, Odisha	15
Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT)	Bhubaneswar, Odisha	16
Homi Bhabha National Institute	Mumbai, Maharashtra	17
S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology	Chennai, Tamil Nadu	18
Savitribai Phule Pune University	Pune, Maharashtra	19
Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani (BITS Pilani)	Pilani, Rajasthan	20

How does NIRF Evaluate and Rank Universities? 

The NIRF rankings of universities is one of the most comprehensive and systematic frameworks of evaluation and ranking. As a result, it is well-known across the nation as well as in international circles as a prestigious ranking body. 

The evaluation and ranking of NIRF for universities is out of a total marks of 500, which is divided into 5 components, presented in the order of their weightage: 

• Research Productivity, Impact and IPR (RPII) with a weightage of 0.4/1
• Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR) with a weightage of 0.3/1
• Outreach and Inclusivity (OI) with a weightage of 0.15/1
• Perception (PR) with a weightage of 0.1/1
• Graduation Outcome (GO) with a weightage of 0.05/1

The following table provides further details about the evaluation components for each of the mentioned 5 parameters along with the marks division as proposed by the NIRF. 

Evaluation Parameter	Constituent Dimensions	Marks	Total Marks and Weightage
Research Productivity, Impact and IPR (RPII)	Combined Metric for Publications	45	Total Marks = 100 Weightage = 0.40/1
	Combined Metric for Citations	45
	Intellectual Property Right	10
Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR)	Teacher Student Ratio with emphasis on Permanent Faculty	25	Total Marks = 100 Weightage = 0.3/1
	Combined Metric for Faculty with Ph.D. and Experience	25
	Metric for Library and Laboratory Facilities	40
	Metric for Sports and Extra Curricular Facilities	10
Outreach and Inclusivity (OI)	Outreach Footprint (Continuing Education, Services)	25	Total Marks = 100 Weightage = 0.15/1
	Percentage of Students from Other States/Countries	25
	Percentage of Women Students and Faculty	20
	Percentage of Economically and Socially Disadvantaged Students	20
	Facilities for Differently Abled Persons	10
Perception (PR)	Process for Peer Rating in Category	50	Total Marks = 100 Weightage = 0.10/1
	Application to Seat Ratio	50
Graduation Outcome (GO)	Combined Performance in University Examinations	50	Total Marks = 100 Weightage = 0.05/1
	Combined Performance in Public Examinations	50

Based on this framework, the NIRF conducts its evaluation of the annual reports of various universities across India, and provides a ranking of 200 universities that emerge as performing the best on all the mentioned parameters and on an overall basis. 

Top Online Universities of India 

With the recent uprise of online and remote education in India, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, the national statutory bodies of India are also providing the requisite recognition to online learning (OL) courses for widespread access of education. 

In line with a similar intent, the distance and online education division of UGC, i.e. the UGC-DEB has deemed duly approved online courses as being equivalent in credibility and value to regular offline courses. 

As a result, many top universities have started to extend their educational services and programs to a larger number of students through the online learning mode (OL). Common fields in which online educational courses can be taken up include management studies, computer applications, data science, liberal arts, commerce etc. Vocational, diploma and short-term certifications can also be taken up through the OL mode.

Given here are a few of the leading universities of India that offer accredited and credible courses (including degrees, diplomas, certifications) in the online mode to students. 

Jain Online University	Dr. D. Y. Patil University
Online Manipal	GLA University Online
LPU Online	UPES Online
Amity Online University	Online Uttaranchal University (Online UU)
Amrita Online	Vignan University Online
Manav Rachna Online	SRM Institute of Science & Technology Online
SASTRA University Online	Datta Meghe Online
Chandigarh University Online Learning	Shoolini University Online

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Conclusion

The rankings released by NIRF every year help to identify the top universities in India on the basis of their academic and overall student services. As per the rankings of 2023, 7 government and 3 private universities have emerged as leading centres for higher education across a variety of domains.