IISc, IITs still the best institutes in nation

For the third consecutive year, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore and Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have been ranked as the topmost institutes in the country by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD).

In 2016, the HRD Ministry started ranking higher education institutions under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). The government has made it mandatory for all institutions that receive public funding to participate in the rankings.

From 2016 to 2018, IISc Bangalore ranked number one in the 'University' category and IIT Madras in 'Engineering Institute' category. Like the past two years, this year too, most spots for engineering colleges were occupied by the IITs.

IISc topped the 'Overall Institute' category as well. Miranda House ranked as the best college in the country, followed by St. Stephen's.

"The ranking of 'General Degree Colleges' saw enthusiastic participation this year, with 1,087 colleges in the fray, an increase by almost 100 per cent from last year," an official statement from the HRD Ministry read.

A new category of medical institutions was added this year, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences nabbed the number one spot. Law and Architecture were also added this year.

"A total of 2,809 institutions participated in nine categories this year," a senior HRD official said.