10 Gujarat colleges among best in the country

Ten colleges from Gujarat have figured in the list of best colleges in the country in a separate survey conducted by leading news magazines India Today and Outlook.

Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, is, however, the only college which has been ranked as one of the best engineering colleges in both surveys.

The survey by Outlook-MDRA has ranked Institute of Technology, Nirma University, as the 6th best among top ten private engineering colleges of the country. However, the institute's rank falls to 22 in the overall list of all engineering colleges. "We are very happy to be ranked among the best colleges. The efforts of all stakeholders are showing results, which is reflecting in the improved rankings," NV Vasani, vice-chancellor, Nirma University, said, adding that the institute will aim for a top-20 rank by next year.

The Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information & Communication Technology (DA IICT), Gandhinagar, has been ranked 8th among the top ten private engineering colleges.

The survey ranks BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, at 20 in the list of top 20 medical colleges in the country.

National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Gandhinagar has been ranked 3rd among the top fashion technology institutes, while Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad, is ranked 4th among the top 10 architecture colleges.

The second survey, by India Today and Nielsen, ranks Institute of Technology, Nirma University, at 24th in the list of top 25 engineering colleges in the country. The Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT), Surat, has been ranked 22nd among engineering colleges.

The India Today-Nielsen survey places St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad, at 11th spot among top 50 arts colleges in the country, an improvement of two places as compared to last year's ranking. The St. Xavier's College is also ranked 10th among the best science colleges, one rank lower than last year (9th in 2009).

HL College of Commerce, Ahmedabad, has been ranked 41st among top 50 commerce colleges. The Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar, finds the 9th spot among the top ten law colleges in the country, according to the survey.

"Gujarat was not the best in terms of offering quality education in the past, but things are changing. Overall, the education scenario in the state is improving. Our institutes are now comparable with the best institutes," Vasani, who is also ex vice-chancellor of Gujarat University, said further.