NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework)

RankingsPolicy & Regulation

A government-backed methodology in India that ranks higher education institutions annually across categories such as overall, universities, engineering, management, medical and law.

NIRF uses parameters including Teaching, Learning and Resources; Research and Professional Practice; Graduation Outcomes; Outreach and Inclusivity; and Perception. It is the Indian counterpart to global rankings such as QS and Times Higher Education.

Related Terms
AIRI (All India Rankings of Institutions)
A category of national-level ranking exercises that compare higher education institutions across a country on parameters such as teaching, research and outcomes.
QS World University Rankings
A widely cited annual global ranking of universities produced by Quacquarelli Symonds, using indicators such as academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, citations and international diversity.
Ranking (University Ranking)
An ordered listing of institutions based on defined performance indicators, intended to compare and benchmark quality at global, national, regional or subject level.
ABET
A US-based accreditation body for engineering, computing, technology and applied-science programs, and a signatory of the Washington Accord.
Academic Bank of Credits (ABC)
A digital framework that stores and manages academic credits earned by a student across institutions, enabling credit accumulation, transfer and multiple entry and exit.