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. The 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
- Jadavpur University
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
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 |
| Jadavpur University | West Bengal | 4 |
| Banaras Hindu University | Uttar Pradesh | 5 |
| Manipal Academy of Higher Education | Karnataka | 6 |
| Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | Tamil Nadu | 7 |
| Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) | Tamil Nadu | 8 |
| Aligarh Muslim University | Uttar Pradesh | 9 |
| University of Hyderabad | Telangana | 10 |
| University of Delhi | Delhi | 11 |
| Calcutta University | West Bengal | 12 |
| Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences | Tamil Nadu | 13 |
| Anna University | Tamil Nadu | 14 |
| Siksha O Anusandhan Bharathiar University | Odisha Tamil Nadu | 15 |
| Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology | Odisha | 16 |
| Homi Bhabha National Institute | Maharashtra | 17 |
| S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology | Tamil Nadu | 18 |
| Savitribai Phule Pune University | Maharashtra | 19 |
| Birla Institute of Technology & Science -Pilani | Rajasthan | 20 |
| Bharathiar University | Tamil Nadu | 21 |
| Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology | Punjab | 22 |
| Institute of Chemical Technology | Maharashtra | 23 |
| Kerala University | Kerala | 24 |
| Panjab University | Chandigarh | 25 |
| Shanmugha Arts Science Technology & Research Academy | Tamil Nadu | 26 |
| Chandigarh University | Punjab | 27 |
| Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation University (K L College of Engineering) | Andhra Pradesh | 28 |
| Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education | Tamil Nadu | 29 |
| Alagappa University | Tamil Nadu | 30 |
Top Ranked Government Universities in India 2024
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 |
Jadavpur University | 4 | West Bengal |
Banaras Hindu University | 5 | Uttar Pradesh |
Aligarh Muslim University | 9 | Uttar Pradesh |
University of Hyderabad | 10 | Telangana |
University of Delhi | 11 | Delhi |
Calcutta University | 12 | West Bengal |
Anna University | 14 | Tamil Nadu |
Top Private Universities in India 2024
The list of the top Private universities in India as per NIRF rankings are:
| University Name | State | Rank |
| Manipal Academy of Higher Education | Karnataka | 1 |
| Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | Tamil Nadu | 2 |
| Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) | Tamil Nadu | 3 |
| Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences | Tamil Nadu | 4 |
| Siksha o Anusandhan | Odisha | 5 |
| Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology | Odisha | 6 |
| S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology | Tamil Nadu | 7 |
| Birla Institute of Technology & Science | Rajasthan | 8 |
| Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology | Punjab | 9 |
| Shanmugha Arts Science Technology & Research Academy | Tamil Nadu | 10 |
Top Engineering Colleges in India 2024
Here is the list of best engineering colleges in India as per NIRF rankings:
| Institute Name | 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 Roorkee | Uttrakhand | 5 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | West Bengal | 6 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati | Assam | 7 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad | Telangana | 8 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli | Tamil Nadu | 9 |
| Jadavpur University | West Bengal | 10 |
Learn More About – Top Engineering colleges in India 2024-25
Top Management Colleges in India 2024
Here is the list of best Management colleges in India as per NIRF rankings:
| Institute Name | 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 Management Calcutta | West Bengal | 4 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Delhi | Delhi | 5 |
| Indian Institute of Management Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh | 6 |
| National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai | Maharashtra | 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
Here is the list of best Medical colleges in India as per the latest NIRF rankings:
| Institute Name | 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 | Karnataka | 4 |
| Jawaharlal Institute of PostGraduate Medical Education & Research | Pondicherry | 5 |
| Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | Tamil Nadu | 6 |
| Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences | Uttar Pradesh | 7 |
| Banaras Hindu University | Uttar Pradesh | 8 |
| Kasturba Medical College, Manipal | Karnataka | 9 |
| Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology | Kerala | 10 |
Learn More About – Top Medical colleges in India 2024-25
Top Law Universities in India 2024
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 |
Jamia Millia Islamia,New Delhi | 5 | Delhi |
Symbiosis Law School | 6 | Maharashtra |
Gujarat National Law University | 7 | Gujarat |
Siksha `O` Anusandhan | 8 | Odisha |
IIT Kharagpur | 9 | West Bengal |
Babasheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University | 10 | Uttar Pradesh |
Learn More About – Top Law colleges in India 2024-25
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
Q) How to get admission in the top universities in India?
Ans) The admission is based on entrance exams like CUET, JEE Main, NEET etc. Candidates have to score good rank and score for admission to the UG & PG courses offered by these universities.
Q) Which is the No. 1 ranked university in India and how the rankings are derived?
Ans) The No. 1 rank university as per NIRF University ranking category is Indian Institute of Science. The rankings are derived based on several parameters including Teaching Learning & Resources, Graduation Outcome, Outreach & Inclusivity, Perception & Research and Professional Practice.
Q) What are the top Universities in Delhi?
Ans) In Delhi, JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia and University of Delhi ranked at top position.
Q) What is the Fees structure for UG courses in top universities?
Ans) The fee varies from university to university and also the course that one is applying for. Generally, in top government universities the total fees is Rs 70000 to 3 Lakh.