NIRF 2025 gets Sustainable Development Goals category; IIT Madras tops the list

Leading the inaugural list is the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai, followed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, and Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, securing the second and third spots, respectively.

Other institutions making it to the top 10 include S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology (Chennai) at rank 4, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Manipal) at rank 5, and IIT Roorkee (Uttarakhand) at rank 6. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and IIT Delhi also find a place, at seventh and eighth positions, respectively.

Rounding off the top 10 are the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, Odisha, at ninth place, and Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, at the tenth.

As many as 791 institutions have participated in the NIRF 2025 SDG category. Anna University (Chennai), Delhi Technological University (Delhi), Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) Shibpur, ISM Dhanbad, Jadavpur University and multiple IIMs, including IIM Bangalore and IIM Raipur, as well as several IITs, such as IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, and IIT Kharagpur, participated.

The introduction of the SDG category is being seen as a step toward recognizing institutions not just for academic excellence, but also for their role in driving sustainability, social impact, and community development. This new category evaluates contributions in areas such as clean energy, climate action, inclusive education, gender equality, and sustainable cities, aligning with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda.

With IIT Madras leading yet another category in addition to engineering, innovations and overall, and diverse institutions from agriculture to technology and social sciences represented, the NIRF SDG category rankings highlight the growing importance of holistic development and responsibility in higher education.