Top 10 Engineering Colleges in India (NIRF 2025): Ranks, Scores and Cities
The top 10 engineering colleges in India in NIRF 2025, with rank, score and city, taken from the official NIRF engineering table. Read it before choosing JoSAA or state counselling options.
Why this list
Students comparing engineering colleges usually start with the NIRF ranking. The NIRF engineering table is published by the Ministry of Education and shows every ranked institution with its score. This post lists the top 10 from the NIRF 2025 engineering table, so you can check the same numbers yourself.
The top 10
| Rank | Institution | City | State | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indian Institute of Technology Madras | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 88.72 |
| 2 | Indian Institute of Technology Delhi | New Delhi | Delhi | 85.74 |
| 3 | Indian Institute of Technology Bombay | Mumbai | Maharashtra | 83.65 |
| 4 | Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur | Kanpur | Uttar Pradesh | 81.82 |
| 5 | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | Kharagpur | West Bengal | 78.69 |
| 6 | Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee | Roorkee | Uttarakhand | 75.44 |
| 7 | Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad | Hyderabad | Telangana | 72.31 |
| 8 | Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati | Guwahati | Assam | 72.24 |
| 9 | National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli | Tiruchirappalli | Tamil Nadu | 68.14 |
| 10 | Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi | Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | 67.24 |
Ranks 1 to 8 are all IITs. Ranks 9 and 10 are an NIT and an IIT. Rank 11 is BITS Pilani, which is the first institution in the next band.
How to read the table
The NIRF page shows five component scores for each college, each out of 100: TLR (teaching, learning and resources), RPC (research and professional practice), GO (graduation outcomes), OI (outreach and inclusivity) and PERCEPTION. The overall score combines them. Use the component columns to see where a college is strong. A college with a high GO score is strong on placements and higher studies. A college with a high RPC score is strong on research.
What the rank does not tell you
- Branch-level quality. NIRF engineering ranks the institution as a whole. A top-10 college can have a weak branch, and a lower-ranked college can have a strong branch. Check the branch you want.
- Fees and location. A rank does not show fees, hostel costs or the city's living expenses.
- Admission route. IIT and NIT admissions usually go through JEE and JoSAA. Other institutions in the table may admit through their own tests or state counselling.
- Future change. The table is for NIRF 2025. Newer editions may change the order.
How to use this list
- Shortlist by branch. For each college in the top 10, check your preferred branch's seat count and the previous year's closing rank in the official counselling data.
- Compare the component scores. If placements matter most, look at GO. If you plan a masters or PhD, look at RPC.
- Check the fee and hostel on each institute's official site. Fees are not in the ranking.
- Read the placement report. Each institution publishes one. Check the median and the branch-wise figures, not only the highest package.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the top engineering college in India in NIRF 2025? IIT Madras, with a score of 88.72 in the NIRF 2025 engineering table.
Which IIT is ranked next? IIT Delhi (85.74) and IIT Bombay (83.65) are at ranks 2 and 3.
Is there an NIT in the top 10? Yes. NIT Tiruchirappalli is at rank 9 with a score of 68.14.
Sources
NIRF India Rankings 2025, Engineering: https://www.nirfindia.org/Rankings/2025/EngineeringRanking.html, read on 24 October 2026. Each ranking row shows the name, city, state and score as published. The NIRF page is the authority; check it for later editions.
Frequently Asked Questions
IIT Madras, with an overall NIRF 2025 engineering score of 88.72, followed by IIT Delhi (85.74) and IIT Bombay (83.65).
This post uses the NIRF 2025 engineering table. Check the NIRF site for any newer edition before you rely on a rank.
Not always. The rank combines teaching, research, graduation outcomes, outreach and perception. Placements are one part of it. Check the branch and the placement report of your shortlisted college.
They appear in the same engineering table, so their scores can be compared. Fees, seat counts and admission routes differ, so read the admission route before you decide.
Keshav founded StudentUpdate.in and edits every recruitment notice, syllabus page and practice set the site publishes. Each notice is read from the issuing body's PDF or portal before it goes live; dates, fees, vacancy tables and eligibility rules are copied from that document, not from other websites.