After passing class 12th, the first step towards higher education is learning about the top universities in India and their admission process. This involves researching universities about their courses, fee structure and ranking.
This guide will help you navigate the admission process for some of the top universities in India with their NIRF rankings.
India is one of the world’s largest higher education hubs, ranked 3rd after the USA and China. Higher education in India is provided by the universities & colleges that are approved and recognised by various statutory bodies under the Ministry of Higher Education.
Some of the top ranked universities in India are:
- IISC
- JNU
- JMI
- BHU
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education
Candidates have to qualify the entrance exams for admission to UG & PG courses offered by these universities. The common entrance exams for admission to top universities in India are CUET, JEE Main, JEE Advanced, NEET, CLAT, CAT etc.
In this article, we will explore about the top universities in India based on their NIRF rankings 2024. We will also discuss about entrance exams for admission in these top universities.
Top Universities Ranking Criteria 2024-25
The ministry of education with the aim & objectives to rank the best educational institutions in the country, formed National Institutional of Ranking Framework (NIRF) in December, 2015.
The NIRF functions under UGC and ranks education institutions on the basis of several parameters including:
- Teaching Learning & Resources
- Graduation Outcome
- Outreach & Inclusivity
- Perception
- Research and Professional Practice
Top Ranked Universities in India 2024-25
As per the NIRF Rankings 2024, the top 30 ranked universities in India are:
| University Name | State | Rank |
| Indian Institute of Science | Karnataka | 1 |
| Jawaharlal Nehru University | Delhi | 2 |
| Jamia Millia Islamia | Delhi | 3 |
| Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal | Karnataka | 4 |
| Banaras Hindu University | Uttar Pradesh | 5 |
| University of Delhi | Delhi | 6 |
| Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | Tamil Nadu | 7 |
| Aligarh Muslim University | Uttar Pradesh | 8 |
| Jadavpur University | West Bengal | 9 |
| Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) | Tamil Nadu | 10 |
| Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences | Tamil Nadu | 11 |
| S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology | Tamil Nadu | 12 |
| Anna University | Tamil Nadu | 13 |
| Siksha O Anusandhan Bharathiar University | Odisha | 14 |
| Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology | Odisha | 15 |
| Homi Bhabha National Institute | Maharashtra | 16 |
| University of Hyderabad | Telangana | 17 |
| Calcutta University | West Bengal | 18 |
| Birla Institute of Technology & Science -Pilani | Rajasthan | 19 |
| Chandigarh University | Punjab | 20 |
| Kerala University Bharathiar University | Kerala Tamil Nadu | 21 |
| Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation University (K L College of Engineering) | Andhra Pradesh | 22 |
| Savitribai Phule Pune University | Maharashtra | 23 |
| JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research | Karnataka | 24 |
| Andhra University | Andhra University | 25 |
| Bharathiar University | Tamil Nadu | 26 |
| Lovely Professional University | Punjab | 27 |
| Shanmugha Arts Science Technology and Research Academy | Tamil Nadu | 28 |
| Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology | Punjab | 29 |
| Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education | Tamil Nadu | 30 |
Top Ranked Government Universities in India 2024-25
Looking for best government universities? Here is the list of top government university in India:
University Name | NIRF Rank | State |
Indian Institute of Science | 1 | Karnataka |
Jawaharlal Nehru University | 2 | Delhi |
Jamia Millia Islamia | 3 | Delhi |
Banaras Hindu University | 5 | Uttar Pradesh |
University of Delhi | 6 | Delhi |
Aligarh Muslim University | 8 | Uttar Pradesh |
Jadavpur University | 9 | West Bengal |
Anna University | 13 | Tamil Nadu |
Homi Bhabha National Institute | 16 | Maharashtra |
University of Hyderabad | 17 | Telangana |
Top Private Universities in India 2024-25
The list of the top Private universities in India as per NIRF rankings are:
| University Name | State | NIRF Rank |
| Manipal Academy of Higher Education | Karnataka | 4 |
| Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | Tamil Nadu | 7 |
| Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) | Tamil Nadu | 10 |
| Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences | Tamil Nadu | 11 |
| S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology | Odisha | 12 |
| Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology | Odisha | 15 |
| Birla Institute of Technology & Science | Rajasthan | 19 |
| Chandigarh University | Rajasthan | 20 |
| Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation University | Andhra Pradesh | 22 |
| JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research | Karnataka | 24 |
Top Engineering Colleges in India 2024-25
Here is the list of best engineering colleges in India as per NIRF rankings:
| Institute | State | Rank |
| Indian Institute of Technology Madras | Tamil Nadu | 1 |
| Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi | Delhi | 2 |
| Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay | Maharashtra | 3 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur | Uttar Pradesh | 4 |
| Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur | West Bengal | 5 |
| Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee | Uttarakhand | 6 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati | Assam | 7 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad | Telangana | 8 |
| National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli | Tamil Nadu | 9 |
| IIT BHU | Uttar Pradesh | 10 |
Learn More About – Top Engineering colleges in India 2024-25
Top Management Colleges in India 2024-25
Here is the list of best Management colleges in India as per NIRF rankings 2024:
| Institute | State | Rank |
| Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad | Gujarat | 1 |
| Indian Institute of Management Bangalore | Karnataka | 2 |
| Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode | Kerala | 3 |
| Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi | Delhi | 4 |
| Indian Institute of Management Calcutta | West Bengal | 5 |
| Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai | Maharashtra | 6 |
| Indian Institute of Management Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | 7 |
| Indian Institute of Management Indore | Madhya Pradesh | 8 |
| XLRI – Xavier School of Management | Jharkhand | 9 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Bombay | Maharashtra | 10 |
Learn More About – Top Management colleges in India 2024-25
Top Medical Colleges in India 2024-25
Here is the list of best Medical colleges in India as per the latest NIRF rankings:
| College | State | Rank |
| All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi | Delhi | 1 |
| Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research | Chandigarh | 2 |
| Christian Medical College | Tamil Nadu | 3 |
| National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences, Bangalore | Karnataka | 4 |
| Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research | Pondicherry | 5 |
| Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences | Uttar Pradesh | 6 |
| Banaras Hindu University | Uttar Pradesh | 7 |
| Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | Tamil Nadu | 8 |
| Kasturba Medical College, Manipal | Karnataka | 9 |
| Madras Medical College and Government General Hospital, Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 10 |
Learn More About – Top Medical colleges in India 2024-25
Top Law Universities in India 2024-25
Here is the list of best law universities in India as per the latest NIRF rankings:
University Name | NIRF Rank | State |
National Law School of India University | 1 | Karnataka |
National Law University | 2 | Delhi |
Nalsar University of Law | 3 | Telangana |
The West Bengal National University of Juridicial Sciences | 4 | West Bengal |
Symbiosis Law School | 5 | Maharashtra |
Jamia Millia Islamia,New Delhi | 6 | Delhi |
IIT Kharagpur | 7 | West Bengal |
Gujarat National Law University | 8 | Gujarat |
Siksha `O` Anusandhan | 9 | Odisha |
Babasheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University | 10 | Uttar Pradesh |
Learn More About – Top Law colleges in India 2024-25
Top Research Universities in India 2024-25
Here is the list of best ranked research institutions in India:
University Name | NIRF Rank | State |
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru | 1 | Karnataka |
Indian Institute of Technology Madras | 2 | Tamil Nadu |
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi | 3 | Delhi |
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay | 4 | Maharashtra |
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | 5 | West Bengal |
Homi Bhabha National Institute | 6 | Maharashtra |
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur | 7 | Uttar Pradesh |
All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi | 8 | Delhi |
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee | 9 | Uttarkhand |
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati | 10 | Assam |
Top Universities in India: Admission Process
The admission in the top universities of India is done on the basis of national level entrance exams. Students have to fulfil the eligibility criteria and qualify the below mentioned entrance exams:
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria for admission to the top universities depends on the course that the students is applying for:
- For UG Engineering Courses: 10+2 Passed with Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics.
- For UG Arts & Humanities courses: 10+2 passed with any stream.
- For UG Commerce Courses: 10+2 passed with commerce or Science stream.
- Apart from these basic eligibility conditions, candidates have to meet the age & percentage criteria set by the individual universities for admission to their UG programmes.
Entrance Exams for Admission in Top Universities
Students have to qualify the entrance exams, corresponding to the courses they wish to pursue. Below is the list of top national level entrance exams for admission to top universities & colleges of India.
JEE Main & Advanced
JEE Main is conducted by NTA for admission to B.E/B.Tech courses in top government & private universities. Candidates qualifying JEE Main exam are eligible for JEE Advanced.
JEE Advanced is the entrance exam for admission to B.Tech courses offered by all IITs, IISc & other premier institutions in India.
CUET
CUET stands for Central University Entrance Test. The exam is conducted by NTA for admission to UG & PG courses offered in all the participating institutions.
NEET UG
NEET UG is conducted by NTA for admission to MBBS, BDS, Nursing & Ayush courses offered by all top colleges & universities in India.
CAT
CAT is a national level entrance exam for admission to management courses offered by top B-schools of the country including IIMs.
CAT is conducted by IIMs, every year in the month of November. The registration process starts in August.
Top Universities in India FAQs
If you have any other queries regarding top universities in India for 2024-25 session, feel free to drop your comments below!