Behind the numbers: Can NIRF deliver trust?

Updated - September 08, 2025 04:50 pm IST The Hindu Bureau

While NIRF conducts some verification, recurring reports of data manipulation and the rise of private consultancies raise concerns about the efficacy of these rankings.

Every year, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) becomes a moment of reckoning for Indian universities. NIRF, under the Ministry of Education, ranks higher education institutions across the country, with participation mandatory for government-run institutions. When it was introduced, it was hailed as the dawn of a new era. It was considered an Indian alternative to global rankings, which were often criticised as Western-centric.

The NIRF’s methodology, however, came in for some criticism from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He was especially skeptical about the ‘peer perception’ parameter, which carries 10% of marks for the ranking. He suggested that the NIRF should ensure that government-funded institutions do not fall behind because of this yardstick. Another caveat pointed out by experts is that most aspects of the ranking depend heavily on self-reported data, while publications, citations, and patent records are drawn from third-party databases. While NIRF conducts some verification, recurring reports of data manipulation and the rise of private consultancies raise concerns about the efficacy of these rankings.

In an attempt to mitigate such data fudging, starting this year, NIRF has awarded negative scores to higher educational institutions for papers that have been retracted from journals in the last three calendar years and their corresponding citations. As the framework evolves, the question persists about whether the exercise has been reduced to little more than a ranking race within the country rather than setting global benchmarks rooted in the Indian context.

To delve deeper into the topic, The Hindu will host a live webinar titled, ‘Behind the numbers: Can NIRF deliver trust?’ on September 13, 5:00 p.m. Register now for free to ask questions and interact with the panellists. The three best questions will receive a free online subscription to The Hindu.

Published - September 08, 2025 01:22 pm IST

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