IITs outdo IIMs in NIRF management rankings 2024; reasons and concerns

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have performed better than Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in the ministry of education’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF 2024) under the management category this year. Seven IITs and 4 NITs have grabbed a spot in the top 100 best management institutes list in NIRF ranking 2024. Notably, IIT Delhi has jumped to the fourth spot, pushing IIM Calcutta to fifth place in the NIRF management category. Here's the detailed analysis of ranking process.

IIM Ahmedabad retained its top spot and IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode bagged the second and third place; the top three ranks under the NIRF management category were bagged by the same institutes as last year.

Interestingly, 11 Institutions of National Importance (INIs), which includes IITs and NITs, have managed to grab a rank in the top 100 best management institutes list.

B-schools focus on case studies along with research, and IITs majorly on research. However, the case study factor is not considered in the ranking process. Careers360 compared the scores obtained by IITs, NITs, and IIMs for research in management category and found that IIT Delhi tops with 78.39 leaving behind all management institutes (IIMs). However, in the top 10 MBA institutes in terms of the placements, IIM Mumbai has scored highest of 99.41, followed by IIM Calcutta and IIM Ahmedabad. Interestingly, none of the IITs have scored better than IIMs under the graduation outcome parameter, which covers placements and median salary, a crucial factor considered by students while choosing a university.

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IITs in NIRF 2024 management rankings

Careers360 analysed the data on intake, number of graduates, placements, and median salary of the IITs and NITs ranked in NIRF management category and the details are given in the table below. The details showed that IIT Kanpur, which has a sanctioned intake of 80 admitted only 39 students in 2021-22, was ranked 29 in MBA category. NIT Calicut and NIT Warangal are the other two institutes which has lower number of sanctioned seats.

Also read NIRF Ranking 2024: Three new categories introduced; IGNOU best open university

Research output: Major concerns

Careers360 analyzed the scores obtained by the top 9 public and 9 private universities under the research output parameter. The data showed that the private universities score saw a five-fold increase from 2,199 to 10,775 in three years, whereas the public universities’ score improved from 8,345 to 10,912 between 2020 to 2023. Notably, the research practices hold 30% weightage.

The graph also shows a consistent growth in the score obtained by the public universities under the research category, whereas the marks secured by private universities indicate a sharp increase after 2021.

A comparison between research score obtained by public and private institutions (Source: Careers360)

NIRF 2024: Highlights

About 6,500 unique institutions participated with 10,850 entries in the NIRF India ranking process. Institutes were ranked across 16 categories - overall, university, colleges, engineering, management, pharmacy, law, medical, architecture, dental, innovation, agriculture and allied sectors, research institutions; and an additional three categories - open universities, skill universities, and state-funding public universities - were introduced this year.

The NIRF rankings 2024 are awarded broadly based on five parameters - teaching, learning and resources; research and professional practices; graduation outcomes; outreach and inclusivity; and perception. Teaching and research practices have a high weightage of 30% each, whereas graduation outcomes has been given 20% only.

In addition to this, gender diversity, outreach and perception of the institution have been given 10% weightage each. Less than 15% weightage for placement and higher studies and for median salary taken together, as per the Careers360 analysis.

NIRF Rankings 2024 are used by institutes to set a benchmark, referred by students and counselors to decide the best universities and colleges to pursue higher studies.

Out of the top 100 institutions under the NIRF overall ranking 2024, eight are central universities, 25 are deemed-to-be-university, 3 are deemed-to-be-universities run by the government. 35 Institute of National Importance (INIs), which includes IITs, IIMs, IISc Bangalore, were featured in the India rankings this year. Moreover, five state private universities, 23 state universities, and one affiliated college in Tamil Nadu also gained a spot in the top 100 best institutions in India under the MoE’s NIRF 2024.