NIRF · DATA-DRIVEN FORECAST · 2026

Where India's institutes are projected to stand in 2026.

A band-wise projection of the NIRF 2026 rankings across four disciplines, built on seven years of official scores. We report the tier an institute is heading for, the marks it takes to get there, and how firm each call is — not a false-precision rank.

2019

2026 FORECAST

400

institutions across 4 verticals

7

ranking cycles analysed

4

NIRF categories

NIRF Forecast Index
Projected cut-off score
2019 — 2026
Top 10Top 50Top 100
20192020202120222023202420252026
70.9
54.8
45.1

Forecast snapshot

Marks to make the cut in 2026

The projected overall score an institute needs to break into each tier next year — read left to right, from the entry line into the top 100 up to the elite top 10.

Top 10 Entry▲ 0.2 vs 2025
70.9
projected 2026 cut-off score
Top 25 Entry▲ 0.6 vs 2025
61.5
projected 2026 cut-off score
Top 50 Entry▲ 0.7 vs 2025
54.8
projected 2026 cut-off score
Top 75 Entry▲ 0.8 vs 2025
49.9
projected 2026 cut-off score
Top 100 Entry▲ 0.6 vs 2025
45.1
projected 2026 cut-off score

The 2026 board

The 2026 Tier Snapshot

Explore the complete forecast field by tier. Numbers indicate the institution's sequence on this forecast board; the model itself remains band-based rather than claiming an exact official NIRF rank. Select any institution to open its forecast detail.

1–10
10 institutes
entry at 70.9
1
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Gujarat
— Stable
HIGH
2
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Karnataka
— Stable
HIGH
3
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode
Kerala
— Stable
HIGH
4
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Delhi
— Stable
HIGH
5
Indian Institute of Management Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
6
Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai
Maharashtra
— Stable
HIGH
7
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
West Bengal
— Stable
HIGH
8
Indian Institute of Management Indore
Madhya Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
9
Management Development Institute
Haryana
— Stable
HIGH
10
XLRI - Xavier School of Management
Jharkhand
— Stable
HIGH
11–25
15 institutes
entry at 61.5
1
Symbiosis Institute of Business Management
Maharashtra
— Stable
HIGH
2
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
West Bengal
— Stable
HIGH
3
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Tamil Nadu
— Stable
HIGH
4
Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli
Tamil Nadu
— Stable
HIGH
5
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Maharashtra
— Stable
HIGH
6
Indian Institute of Management Raipur
Chhattisgarh
— Stable
HIGH
7
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
Delhi
— Stable
HIGH
8
Indian Institute of Management Ranchi
Jharkhand
— Stable
HIGH
9
Indian Institute of Management
Maharashtra
— Stable
HIGH
10
S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research
Maharashtra
— Stable
HIGH
11
Indian Institute of Management Kashipur
Uttarakhand
— Stable
HIGH
12
Indian Institute of Management Bodh Gaya
Bihar
▲ Up
HIGH
13
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Uttarakhand
— Stable
HIGH
14
Indian Institute of Management Udaipur
Rajasthan
— Stable
HIGH
15
Indian Institute of Management Rohtak
Haryana
— Stable
HIGH
26–50
25 institutes
entry at 54.8
1
Institute of Management Technology
Uttar Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
2
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Tamil Nadu
— Stable
HIGH
3
Indian Institute of Management Sambalpur
Odisha
— Stable
HIGH
4
SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies
Maharashtra
▼ Down
HIGH
5
Chandigarh University
Punjab
— Stable
HIGH
6
Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam
Andhra Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
7
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Uttar Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
8
MICA
Gujarat
— Stable
HIGH
9
Jamia Millia Islamia
Delhi
— Stable
HIGH
10
Indian Institute of Management Jammu (IIMJ)
Jammu and Kashmir
— Stable
HIGH
11
UPES
Uttarakhand
— Stable
HIGH
12
T. A. Pai Management Institute Manipal
Karnataka
— Stable
HIGH
13
Great Lakes Institute of Management
Tamil Nadu
— Stable
HIGH
14
Jaipuria Institute of Management
Uttar Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
15
IMI Kolkata
West Bengal
— Stable
HIGH
16
Indian Institute of Management Shillong
Meghalaya
— Stable
HIGH
17
IMI Delhi
Delhi
— Stable
HIGH
18
Indian Institute of Management Sirmaur
Himachal Pradesh
▲ Up
HIGH
19
XIM University
Odisha
— Stable
HIGH
20
Great Lakes Institute of Management
Haryana
— Stable
HIGH
21
Graphic Era University
Uttarakhand
▲ Up
HIGH
22
Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology
Punjab
— Stable
HIGH
23
Goa Institute of Management
Goa
— Stable
HIGH
24
Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines)
Jharkhand
— Stable
HIGH
25
Loyola Institute of Business Administration
Tamil Nadu
▲ Up
HIGH
51–75
25 institutes
entry at 49.9
1
Lovely Professional University
Punjab
▼ Down
HIGH
2
Nirma University
Gujarat
— Stable
HIGH
3
ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Hyderabad
Telangana
▼ Down
HIGH
4
Institute of Rural Management Anand
Gujarat
— Stable
HIGH
5
S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology
Tamil Nadu
— Stable
MEDIUM
6
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences
Tamil Nadu
— Stable
HIGH
7
Christ University
Karnataka
— Stable
HIGH
8
Malaviya National Institute of Technology
Rajasthan
— Stable
HIGH
9
Fore School of Management
Delhi
— Stable
HIGH
10
Amity University
Uttar Pradesh
▼ Down
HIGH
11
Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
12
Xavier Institute of Management (XIMB)
Odisha
✦ New
LOW
13
Birla Institute of Management Technology
Uttar Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
14
Banaras Hindu University
Uttar Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
15
National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli
Tamil Nadu
— Stable
HIGH
16
Indian Institute of Management, Amritsar
Punjab
— Stable
HIGH
17
Amity University Haryana, Gurgaon
Haryana
✦ New
LOW
18
K.J.Somaiya Institute of Management
Maharashtra
— Stable
HIGH
19
Siksha 'O' Anusandhan
Odisha
— Stable
HIGH
20
Alliance University
Karnataka
— Stable
HIGH
21
Institute of Management Technology
Telangana
— Stable
HIGH
22
Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology
Odisha
— Stable
HIGH
23
Jain university, Bangalore
Karnataka
— Stable
HIGH
24
Jaipuria Institute of Management
Rajasthan
— Stable
HIGH
25
Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation University
Andhra Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
76–100
25 institutes
entry at 45.1
1
Aligarh Muslim University
Uttar Pradesh
▼ Down
HIGH
2
Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development
Maharashtra
▼ Down
HIGH
3
Thiagarajar School of Management
Tamil Nadu
— Stable
HIGH
4
Babasheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University
Uttar Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
5
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
Delhi
— Stable
HIGH
6
BML Munjal University
Haryana
— Stable
HIGH
7
Vellore Institute of Technology
Tamil Nadu
✦ New
LOW
8
New Delhi Institute of Management
Delhi
— Stable
HIGH
9
Faculty of Management Studies
Delhi
✦ New
LOW
10
PSG College of Technology
Tamil Nadu
— Stable
HIGH
11
Jamia Hamdard
Delhi
— Stable
HIGH
12
Manipal University Jaipur
Rajasthan
— Stable
HIGH
13
Cochin University of Science and Technology
Kerala
— Stable
MEDIUM
14
Chitkara University
Punjab
— Stable
HIGH
15
Pandit Deendayal Energy University
Gujarat
— Stable
HIGH
16
Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology
Uttar Pradesh
— Stable
LOW
17
National Institute of Technology Calicut
Kerala
— Stable
HIGH
18
Rajagiri Business School
Kerala
— Stable
HIGH
19
Jagan Institute of Management Studies
Delhi
— Stable
HIGH
20
Panjab University
Chandigarh
— Stable
HIGH
21
National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management
Telangana
— Stable
HIGH
22
Atal Bihari Vajpayee IIITM
Madhya Pradesh
— Stable
HIGH
23
Anna University
Tamil Nadu
— Stable
HIGH
24
Bharathidasan Institute of Management
Tamil Nadu
— Stable
HIGH
25
IMI Bhubaneswar
Odisha
— Stable
HIGH

Trajectory

How the cut-off has moved — and where 2026 lands

The score it took to reach each tier, year on year, ending in the 2026 projection. Hover any point for the exact mark. The bar to get in keeps rising — competition tightens across the table.

Cut-off score by tier
Top 10Top 25Top 50Top 75Top 100
4045505560657075T10T25T50T75T100

Tier intelligence

The Pillar Profile For Each Tier

Projected 2026 pillar benchmarks by ranking tier, with 2025 holdout error shown in parentheses for validation context.

TIERTLRRPCGOOIPR
Top 1085.51▼ (-1.45)64.91▼ (-6.13)95.44▲ (+0.72)73.56▼ (-1.16)68.48▲ (+1.72)
Top 2579.94▼ (-0.63)53.89▼ (-4.60)90.36▲ (+0.13)71.17▲ (+0.68)45.80▲ (+0.44)
Top 5077.46▼ (-2.23)44.74▼ (-3.62)85.34▲ (+0.57)71.73▼ (-1.38)31.55▲ (+2.41)
Top 7574.77▼ (-1.94)39.71▼ (-3.35)81.06▲ (+0.17)70.82▼ (-0.17)24.91▲ (+1.67)
Top 10072.31▼ (-1.43)34.77▼ (-2.25)78.68▼ (-0.60)69.03▼ (-1.17)22.20▲ (+2.05)
Scores are out of 100. Values in brackets indicate change from previous year.▲ Increase from previous year▼ Decrease from previous year● No significant change
Top 10
TLR85.51▼ (-1.45)
RPC64.91▼ (-6.13)
GO95.44▲ (+0.72)
OI73.56▼ (-1.16)
PR68.48▲ (+1.72)
Top 10 shows the highest overall performance, with strong gains in PR and GO.
Top 25
TLR79.94▼ (-0.63)
RPC53.89▼ (-4.60)
GO90.36▲ (+0.13)
OI71.17▲ (+0.68)
PR45.80▲ (+0.44)
Top 25 shows a strong overall performance, with strong gains in OI and PR.
Top 50
TLR77.46▼ (-2.23)
RPC44.74▼ (-3.62)
GO85.34▲ (+0.57)
OI71.73▼ (-1.38)
PR31.55▲ (+2.41)
Top 50 shows a solid overall performance, with strong gains in PR and GO.
Top 75
TLR74.77▼ (-1.94)
RPC39.71▼ (-3.35)
GO81.06▲ (+0.17)
OI70.82▼ (-0.17)
PR24.91▲ (+1.67)
Top 75 shows a steady overall performance, with strong gains in PR and GO.
Top 100
TLR72.31▼ (-1.43)
RPC34.77▼ (-2.25)
GO78.68▼ (-0.60)
OI69.03▼ (-1.17)
PR22.20▲ (+2.05)
Top 100 shows a modest overall performance, with the strongest gain in PR.

Competitive separation

What separates the tiers — the five pillars

Each chart shows how the projected 2026 benchmark for one NIRF pillar changes across ranking tiers. This makes the competitive gap between the top bands immediately visible.

Teaching−13
top 10top 100
Research−30
top 10top 100
Outcomes−17
top 10top 100
Inclusivity−5
top 10top 100
Perception−46
top 10top 100

2026 projected scorecard

How 2026 looks — projected scorecard

Category-level outlook across Teaching, Research, Outcomes, Inclusivity and Perception, compared with the 2025 observed scorecard.

2025 → 2026 Pillar Movement
Average score movement across the five NIRF pillars.
2026 FORECAST
20406080
Teaching
72.3▲ +0.7
Research
34.8▲ +1.5
Outcomes
78.7▲ +0.3
Inclusivity
69.0▲ +0.5
Perception
22.2▲ +0.2
20252026 projected
Scores are out of 100.
Institutions gaining momentum
Institutions projected to move to a higher rank band in 2026.
Projected climbers only
InstitutionRank movementProjected gain
Indian Institute of Management Bodh Gaya
Bihar
26–5011–25
▲
1 tier
projected gain
Indian Institute of Management Sirmaur
Himachal Pradesh
51–7526–50
▲
1 tier
projected gain
Graphic Era University
Uttarakhand
51–7526–50
▲
1 tier
projected gain
Loyola Institute of Business Administration
Tamil Nadu
51–7526–50
▲
1 tier
projected gain
Xavier Institute of Management (XIMB)
Odisha
Outside51–75
▲
Up
projected gain
Amity University Haryana, Gurgaon
Haryana
Outside51–75
▲
Up
projected gain
Indian Institute of Management Bodh Gaya
Bihar
▲ 1 tier
26–5011–25
Indian Institute of Management Sirmaur
Himachal Pradesh
▲ 1 tier
51–7526–50
Graphic Era University
Uttarakhand
▲ 1 tier
51–7526–50
Loyola Institute of Business Administration
Tamil Nadu
▲ 1 tier
51–7526–50
Xavier Institute of Management (XIMB)
Odisha
▲ Up
Outside51–75
Amity University Haryana, Gurgaon
Haryana
▲ Up
Outside51–75

Geography

Where the top field is concentrated

A state-level view of representation inside the projected 2026 field.

2026 FORECAST

Tamil Nadu
13
+1
Uttar Pradesh
11
-1
Delhi
10
+1
Maharashtra
8
-1
Odisha
6
+1
Gujarat
5
0
Haryana
5
+1
Karnataka
5
0
Punjab
5
0
Kerala
4
0
Rajasthan
4
-1
Uttarakhand
4
0
Jharkhand
3
-1
Telangana
3
0
West Bengal
3
0
Andhra Pradesh
2
0
Madhya Pradesh
2
0
Bihar
1
0
Chandigarh
1
0
Chhattisgarh
1
0
Goa
1
0
Himachal Pradesh
1
0
Jammu and Kashmir
1
0
Meghalaya
1
0
Highest representation
13
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu has the largest representation in the projected 2026 top-100 field for Management. The state shows a gain of 1 institution compared to 2025.
▲ +1Compared to 2025
Key takeaway
Southern and Northern states continue to dominate the projected 2026 field, with Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi leading the representation.

Complete source dataset

How firm is this — and what it can't see.

Nothing from the attached forecast dataset is omitted here. This section exposes category counts, every cut-off validation point, tier-level pillar profiles, low-confidence calls, soft pillars and the locked model rule.

Watch-list — low-confidence placements
Projected on thin or ageing data; verify before acting.
Xavier Institute of Management (XIMB)51–75
last basis
Amity University Haryana, Gurgaon51–75
3yr stale
Vellore Institute of Technology76–100
6yr stale
Faculty of Management Studies76–100
last basis
Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology76–100
last basis
What the model is blind to
3 new-entrant slots. A few first-time institutes with no track record enter each year — they can't be projected, so expect about that many surprises near the entry line.
The top of the table drifts up. Elite scores rise faster than a steady trend follows, so the Top-10 entry mark reads a little low. The order of the leaders is reliable; the exact cut is soft.
The middle is fluid. Ranks in the middle bands turn over most — trust the tier, not a precise position within it.

Studium intelligence

Where will your institution stand in 2026?

Use the forecast as a strategic benchmark: understand the projected cut-offs, assess the competitive field and identify the pillars that could change your institution's trajectory.

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