AIIMS New Delhi has reaffirmed its dominance in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025, retaining the top position in the medical category for over a decade. The institute also secured 8th rank in the overall category. The Ministry of Education announced the results during a press conference led by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Top Performers in Medical Category
Following AIIMS, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, earned the second position, while Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, ranked third. The Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, took the fourth spot, and the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow, stood fifth in the 2025 rankings.
Ranking Parameters and Evaluation
NIRF evaluated institutions based on five major parameters:
- Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR)
- Research and Professional Practice (RP)
- Graduation Outcome (GO)
- Outreach and Inclusivity (OI)
- Perception (PR)
Ranks were assigned according to the total scores across these categories, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of institutional performance.
Key Changes in NIRF 2025
As reported by The Indian Express, the tenth edition of NIRF introduced notable updates to its evaluation framework. For the first time, a new category aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was added. This allows institutions to be assessed on sustainability-related metrics, broadening the rankings beyond academic excellence to include environmentally and socially responsible practices.
Penalties for Retracted Research Publications
Another significant update involves the Research and Professional Practice (RP) metric. Institutions will now face penalties for retracted research publications. If faculty-authored papers face withdrawal due to misconduct or errors, the system applies a negative weightage formula, factoring the proportion of retractions into the overall score.
Although the current impact of these penalties remains minimal, the Ministry has indicated that stricter deductions will follow in future editions. This move reinforces NIRF’s commitment to integrity, accountability, and transparency in higher education.