New Delhi: The Delhi University’s (DU) Hansraj College has secured the third position in the National Institutional Ranking Framework’s ranking for colleges in the country, recording its best-ever position after a jump of nine spots from the last year. Kirori Mal College has also entered the top five and is ranked fourth.
The NIRF 2025 rankings for educational institutions in the country were released by the Ministry of Education on Thursday.
The announcement, made on nirfindia.org, reaffirmed the DU’s growing dominance, with six of the top seven colleges coming from Delhi University. While its Hindu College has retained the top position for a second year in a row, Miranda House is ranked number two, followed by Hansraj College, Kirori Mal College, and St. Stephen’s College.
The NIRF rankings, now in their 10th year, assess educational institutions on different parameters including teaching, learning and resources (TLR); research and professional practice (RP); graduation outcomes (GO); outreach and inclusivity (OI); and perception (PR).
Hansraj College principal Rama Sharma called the improvement in the ranking a recognition of the institution’s “collective spirit”. “We are never solely influenced by ranking. Our main goal is that we continue to provide value-oriented education and honour the legacy of our founders,” she said.
Founded in 1948, a year after Independence, and named after educationist Mahatma Hansraj, the college has long been considered one of the DU’s most sought-after.
The Hansraj College has recorded a steady performance in the ranking since 2022, when it was ranked 14th. For the next two years, it held the 12th rank, before leaping to the third spot this year.
Sharma said every member of the college, including professors, students, non-teaching staff, and also the well-wishers, shares the credit for the performance.
“This achievement is the outcome of sustained efforts across academics, research, infrastructure, and student support over the past several years,” she told ThePrint.
Tracing the college’s journey, she explained that Hansraj has been built on the belief that education is integral to shaping the nation. She underlined that every effort of the institution, whether through research, teaching, or outreach, was tied to this commitment.
“A defining strength of Hansraj’s performance has been its focus on quality research. Among the top five-ranked colleges this year, Hansraj secured the highest research score. This reflects a deliberate shift towards publishing in globally recognised journals such as Scopus and Web of Science. Teachers have been encouraged and incentivised to pursue impactful work, while the Research Development Cell has actively funded projects by both teachers and students, fostering a strong research culture on campus,” she said.
Recruitment of permanent faculty over the last three years has significantly improved the student–teacher ratio, she said. “Infrastructure has also seen major strides, with expanded library resources providing access to world-class journals, books, and software, and increased lab funding strengthening science and computer science education.”
Steep improvement
Outside Delhi, Kolkata’s Rama Krishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College is placed sixth, and St Xavier’s College eighth. Tamil Nadu found representation through PSGR Krishnammal College for Women (ninth) and PSG College of Arts and Science (10th).
Several earlier frontrunners, however, have slid down the chart. Presidency College in Chennai, which held the third spot in 2022 and 2023, has fallen out of the top 10. Loyola College in Tamil Nadu, a consistent performer until 2021, and Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), once ranked second, also failed to make it to the list this year.
Hansraj’s jump of nine places is among the steepest improvements recorded this year.
Its Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) director Alka Kacker said Hansraj has expanded scholarships and freeships to ensure financial barriers do not limit academic potential. “We have also taken steps to strengthen our on-campus placements to improve student progression.”
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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