List of Top 10 Colleges in India 2025
The table below consists of the names of the top 10 colleges in India, along with their individual scores that they have received in 2025.
NIRF Scores Received by the Top 10 Colleges in India
| College Name | NIRF Ranking 2025 | Score |
| Hindu College, Delhi | 1 | 84.01 |
| Miranda House, Delhi | 2 | 83.20 |
| Hans Raj College, Delhi | 3 | 81.75 |
| Kirori Mal College, Delhi | 4 | 80.33 |
| St. Stephens’s College, Delhi | 5 | 79.41 |
| Rama Krishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, West Bengal | 6 | 76.74 |
| Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College, Delhi | 7 | 76.09 |
| St. Xavier`s College, West Bengal | 8 | 76.07 |
| PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Tamil Nadu | 9 | 75.52 |
| PSG College of Arts and Science, Tamil Nadu | 10 | 73.15 |
To see the full list of the top 100 colleges in India Click Here.
Comparative Analysis of the Top 10 Colleges in India
Listed below is the comparative analysis table of the top 10 colleges in India showcasing the rankings for 2025, 2024, and 2023.
Top 10 Colleges in India (2025 vs. 2024 vs.2023)
| College Name | NIRF Ranking 2025 | NIRF Ranking 2024 | NIRF Ranking 2023 |
| Hindu College, Delhi | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Miranda House, Delhi | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Hans Raj College, Delhi | 3 | 12 | 12 |
| Kirori Mal College, Delhi | 4 | 9 | 9 |
| St. Stephens’s College, Delhi | 5 | 4 | 14 |
| Rama Krishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, West Bengal | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College, Delhi | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| St. Xavier`s College, West Bengal | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Tamil Nadu | 9 | 7 | 4 |
| PSG College of Arts and Science, Tamil Nadu | 10 | 11 | 20 |
Also read: NIRF Rankings 2025 – Top 10 Management Institutes
NIRF Ranking – Year-wise Performance of Top 10 Colleges
Let us analyze the progression of the top colleges in India to identify which colleges showed significant improvements, declines in rankings, and were consistent performers.
NIRF Rankings 2025 – Year-On-Year Comparison of India’s Top Colleges
| College Name | Movement Analysis (2025 vs. 2024) | Movement Analysis (2025 vs. 2023) |
| Hindu College, Delhi | No change | Up by 1 |
| Miranda House, Delhi | No change | Down by 1 |
| Hans Raj College, Delhi | Up by 9 | Up by 9 |
| Kirori Mal College, Delhi | Up by 5 | Up by 5 |
| St. Stephens’s College, Delhi | Down by 1 | Up by 9 |
| Rama Krishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, West Bengal | Down by 3 | Up by 2 |
| Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College, Delhi | Down by 2 | Down by 1 |
| St. Xavier`s College, West Bengal | Down by 2 | Down by 3 |
| PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Tamil Nadu | Down by 2 | Down by 5 |
| PSG College of Arts and Science, Tamil Nadu | Up by 1 | Up by 10 |
1. Significant Improvements –
- Hans Raj College climbed from 12th position in 2024 and 2023 to 3rd position in 2025.
- Kirori Mal College reflected an upward movement from 9th position in 2024 and 2023 to 4th position in 2025.
- St. Stephens’s College climbed from 14th position in 2023 to 5th position in 2025.
- PSG College of Arts and Science climbed from 20th position in 2023 to 10th position in 2025.
2. Consistent Performers –
- Hindu College retained the 1st position this year as well.
- Miranda House retained the 2nd position in 2025 as it did in 2024.
3. Major Declines –
- Rama Krishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College dropped from 3rd position in 2024 to 6th position in 2025.
- St. Xavier`s College dropped from 5th position in 2023 to 8th position in 2025.
- PSGR Krishnammal College for Women dropped from 4th position in 2023 to 9th position in 2025.
NIRF Rankings – Key Metrics
The NIRF evaluates colleges based on 5 primary parameters, each contributing to the final ranking score.
Weightage – 40%
Sub-Metrics –
- Student Strength (SS)
- Faculty-Student-Ratio (FSR)
- Faculty with PhD (or equivalent) Experience (FQE)
- Financial Resources and their Utilisation (FRU)
2. Research and Professional Practice (RP): This parameter evaluates the research output and professional practices of the institution.
Weightage – 15%
Sub-Metrics –
- Combined metric for Publications (PU)
- Combined metric for Quality of Publications (QP)
3. Graduation Outcome (GO): This parameter measures the success of students and keeps track of the effectiveness of the core teaching/learning practices of the colleges.
Weightage – 25%
Sub-Metrics –
- Combined metric for Placement & Higher Studies (GPh)
- Metric for University Examinations (GUE)
- Median Salary (GMS)
4. Outreach & Inclusivity (OI): This parameter evaluates the diversity and inclusiveness of the institution.
Weightage – 10%
Sub-Metrics –
- Regional Diversity (RD)
- Percentage of Women/Women Diversity (WD)
- Economically & Socially Challenged Students (ESCS)
- Facilities for Physically Challenged Students (PCS)
5. Perception (PR): This parameter gauges the reputation of the institution among peers.
Weightage – 10%
Sub-Metrics –
- Employers & Academic Peer Perception (PR)
Here’s a detailed metric report of Hindu College for the year 2025. You can see that different metrics have been assigned different color-codes, and the table below the report sums up the total score of the college. This is exactly how every college is evaluated.
You may also read: NIRF Rankings 2025 – Institutions that have Topped the Overall Category
Comparing NIRF College Scores for 2025 – Who Leads the Pack and Why?
An NIRF ranking for a college is only deduced after each college has been scored based on the parameters that we’ve covered in the above heading.
NIRF Rankings 2025 – Score Trends Across India’s Leading Colleges
| College Name | NIRF Score 2025 | NIRF Score 2024 | NIRF Score 2023 |
| Hindu College, Delhi | 84.01 | 74.47 | 72.39 |
| Miranda House, Delhi | 83.20 | 73.22 | 74.81 |
| Hans Raj College, Delhi | 81.75 | 68.76 | 68.42 |
| Kirori Mal College, Delhi | 80.33 | 69.86 | 69.32 |
| St. Stephens’s College, Delhi | 79.41 | 72.97 | 67.83 |
| Rama Krishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, West Bengal | 76.74 | 72.97 | 69.53 |
| Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College, Delhi | 76.09 | 72.59 | 70.78 |
| St. Xavier`s College, West Bengal | 76.07 | 72.15 | 70.80 |
| PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Tamil Nadu | 75.52 | 72.09 | 71.05 |
| PSG College of Arts and Science, Tamil Nadu | 73.15 | 69.06 | 64.61 |
Key Findings –
- Top 4 colleges have secured an 80+ score, and have significantly performed better as compared to the previous years.
- The year 2025 has witnessed drastic changes as compared to previous years, implicating that the overall performance of every college has improved.
- The major metrics that have seen improvement are Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR), and in some cases Outreach & Inclusivity (OI).
The two graphs below depicts and compares the performance of the top colleges in India, across 2023 to 2025. Take a look –
You can also check the individual metric scores of each college by clicking on the “More Details” option under the college name section.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is NIRF 2025?
The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025 is India's premier ranking system for higher education institutions. Released on September 4, 2025, by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, NIRF evaluates colleges across 17 categories, including Overall, Engineering, Management, Medical, Law, and more.
Which college topped the NIRF college rankings in 2025?
Hindu College, Delhi secured the top position in the NIRF college rankings for 2025. For consecutive years, Hindu College has been ranked 1st, securing an overall score of 84.01 in 2025, beating its own previous highest score of 74.47 in 2024.
How can I access the full NIRF rankings?
The complete list of NIRF 2025 rankings, including detailed scores, individual metric scorecards, metric reports, and category-wise performance, is available on the official website of NIRF.
What is the significance of NIRF 2025 rankings for students?
NIRF 2025 rankings help students to assess and compare colleges across various parameters such as teaching quality, research output, graduation outcomes, and inclusivity. These rankings help students make better-informed decisions regarding higher education.
What parameters are used to rank colleges by NIRF?
Colleges are evaluated based on five key parameters:
- Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR) – 40%
- Research and Professional Practices (RP) – 15%
- Graduation Outcomes (GO) – 25%
- Outreach and Inclusivity (OI) – 10%
- Perception (PR) – 10%