Top 10 Universities in India

In every meaning of the term, India is immense. India undoubtedly deserves its subcontinent title, with a population of over one billion people, sprawling cities, and apparently unending countryside. India is home to a diverse range of cultures, languages, and faiths. It is also home to some of the world’s most stunning structures, including the Taj Mahal and the Golden Temple.

India scores high among international study abroad destinations for experiencing a new culture or lifestyle. One of the primary pulls for international students is the food, for which India is well renowned across the world. Curries, naans, poppadums, and sugar puddings have spread over the world as the world has become more linked—and have grown to be cherished by billions of people. There is also the national dress of India. Its vibrant colors and patterns captivate our attention. Of course, India has rich, interesting stories as well. From the origin myths of the Hindu gods to traditional folktales and folklore, Indian stories will keep you interested for hours at a time.

India is a country on the rise, which makes it an intriguing place to study abroad. In India, major technology breakthroughs are occurring on a daily basis. So for this post, we’ll tackle the Top 10 Universities in India.

1. Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, the second IIT to be established in 1958, is widely regarded as a world leader in engineering education and research. It is well-known for the caliber of its teachers and the students who graduate from its undergraduate and postgraduate programs. 

There are 15 academic departments, 30 centers, one school, and five interdisciplinary programs at the institute. More than 52,600 engineers and scientists have graduated from the institute during the previous five decades. It is serviced by over 629 academic members who are not only among the finest in the country but also internationally recognized for their contributions in education and research. 

Today, the Institute is regarded as one of the country’s leading centers of intellectual achievement. IIT Bombay has made dynamic and quick advancement in both academic and research activities throughout the years, with a concomitant increase in facilities and infrastructure to compete with the greatest universities in the world.

2. Indian Institute of Science

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was founded in 1909 by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the Government of India, and the Maharaja of Mysore. In 1886, Jamsetji Tata envisioned a university of science that would benefit India, and in 1898, he established an endowment to fund the establishment of such an institution. 

After consulting with experts in both England and India, the Government of India chose to build the Institute in Bangalore, where the Maharaja of Mysore, Shri Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, donated 372 acres of property. The Institute was legally established in 1909, the foundation stone was set in 1911, and the first class of students began their studies the same year. 

IISc has grown to become India’s foremost institute for advanced scientific and technology research and teaching in the 105 years since its inception. In 1911, IISc had two departments and 21 students. Today, IISc has around 40 departments, units, or centers, 4000 students, and 500 academic and scientific professionals, who are supported by 600 administrative staff.

3. Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

IIT Delhi, founded in 1961 as the College of Engineering in Delhi, was later designated as a ‘Institution of National Importance’ and renamed the ‘Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi’. It was thus recognized as a Deemed University, with the authority to set its own academic policies, run its own examinations, and award its own degrees. It is a public technical and research institution and one of India’s oldest IITs. In 2020, NIRF placed IITD second for engineering and eighth for MBA/PGDM. IIT Delhi has graduated around 48,000 students in diverse fields like engineering, physical sciences, management, and humanities and social sciences since its founding. Nearly 5,000 of these students earned PhDs.

IITD has 19 Centres of Excellence, four of which were established by IIT Delhi, eight of which are industry-supported, and seven of which are funded through sponsored initiatives. Currently, the institution provides over 35 courses at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. 

IIT Delhi is well-known for its collaborations, which include 30 national and 108 international active Memorandums of Understanding. In terms of placements, IITD offers a training and placement section called the Office of Career Services (OCS), which aims to connect students with jobs when they graduate. Every year, the institute’s flagship programme, BTech, has an average placement rate of 90-95 percent. IIT Delhi believes in equal access to education, hence it provides price reductions and scholarships to both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as research assistantships to PhD students.

4. Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras is a nationally significant institute for higher technological education and fundamental and applied research. In 1956, the German government gave technical support to India in order to create a higher education college in engineering. In 1959, the first Indo-German agreement for the founding of the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras was signed in Bonn, West Germany. 

IIT Madras is a residential institute with around 540 academics, 8400 students, and 700 administrative and support personnel on a self-contained campus of approximately 250 hectares. It has established itself as the country’s foremost center for teaching, research, and industry consulting. 

The Institute contains sixteen academic departments and a few advanced research centers in several engineering and pure scientific areas, as well as almost 100 labs organized in a unique pattern of operation. A world-class faculty, a vibrant student body, outstanding technical and support personnel, and an efficient administration have all contributed to IIT Madras’s preeminence. The campus is located in Chennai, formerly known as Madras. Chennai is the state capital of Tamilnadu, India’s southernmost state.

5. Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, often known as the IITKGP, is an autonomous university that was founded in 1951. The Government of India has designated the institute as an Institute of National Importance. According to NIRF 2021, IIT Kharagpur is placed fifth in Engineering and fifth in Law. The institute comprises 19 departments and 12 schools that provide over 120 courses, including specialisations in ten streams, at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels.

The institution has signed international Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with 111 institutes/universities. According to IIT Kharagpur’s official website, the university has a track record of 1500 placements every year in over 250 major businesses with the finest remuneration packages. Scholarships give financial support to financially disadvantaged and exceptional students. Students enrolled in the institute can apply for scholarships such as the Merit-cum-means scholarship, the Inspire scholarship, and so on.

6. Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) is one of the country’s leading institutes, spanning 430 hectares. The institute was founded in 1959 with technical assistance from the Kanpur-IndoAmerican program (KIAP) and has been dedicated to quality in teaching, research, and innovation ever since.

Academically, IIT Kanpur is divided into 18 academic departments and 5 interdisciplinary programs. The institute provides undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral degree programs through ten engineering, two humanities, five science, and one management departments (s). IITK seeks to bridge the gap between academics, industry, and society by providing a creative and dynamic learning environment for its students. The institute goes to great lengths to reach each of its pupils all the way to the end. The academic structure at IITK is quite open, allowing students to pick subjects that interest them and broaden their perspectives.

As a result, IITK is frequently the first option of top-ranked enterprises and research organizations for meeting their employment needs. Their students are instilled with an entrepreneurial attitude and leadership abilities by the institute. Furthermore, IIT Kanpur strives to apply its scientific expertise in the development of long-term research solutions for the benefit of the country. The institute is home to a sophisticated flight laboratory with a working runway as well as the National Wind Tunnel Facility. In addition, the National Center for Flexible Electronics, which was founded at IITK in 2014, serves as a node point for academia, industry, and research institutions to collaborate.

7. Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee

IIT Roorkee, founded in 1847, is the fifth IIT to be designated as a “Institution of National Importance.” It is a public-technical research university in Uttarakhand that was previously known as the University of Roorkee and Thomason College of Civil Engineering. It is Asia’s oldest technical institution, having been granted university status in 1949. The IITR has continuously ranked among the top ten institutes on the NIRF ranking. The varsity was ranked first in Architecture, sixth in Engineering, and fourteenth in MBA by NIRF this year in 2021. 

In the QS World University Ranking 2020, the institute is placed first for Citations per Faculty and International Students. Aside from that, it was placed 387 in the QS World University Rankings for 2021. According to the same rankings, it will be rated 90 in Asia in 2020 and 47 among BRICS states in 2019. IIT Roorkee, like its sibling IITs, is independent in character and is recognized across the world for its quality education and experienced teachers.

The institution has made contributions to all areas of technical advancement. The institute provides bachelor’s degree programmes in 12 engineering and architectural disciplines, as well as postgraduate degree courses in 53 engineering, applied science, architecture, and planning fields. All departments and research centers of the institution have doctoral research facilities. The institute accepts students to B.Tech. and B.Arch. programs through the IITs’ Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), which is held at several locations around India. 

8. Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati

The sixth member of the IIT fraternity, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, was founded in 1994. IIT Guwahati’s academic program began in 1995. Currently, the Institute comprises eleven departments and three inter-disciplinary academic centers that provide BTech, BDes, MA, MDes, MTech, MSc, and PhD programs in all major engineering, scientific, and humanities areas. IIT Guwahati has been able to create world-class infrastructure for advanced research and is equipped with cutting-edge scientific and engineering instruments in a very short period of time. 

The campus of the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati is located on a vast 285-hectare parcel of land on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River, approximately 20 kilometers from the city center. The campus provides a great academic environment, with the beautiful Brahmaputra on one side and hills and large open spaces on the other. 

The academic complex is 74,000 square meters in size and comprises academic departments, centers, labs, classrooms, and other facilities. The institute’s offices are housed in a large administrative building. A contemporary computer centre and central library are housed at the Computer and Communication Centre. A lecture hall complex with four lecture rooms, each seating 250 scholars, and an auditorium with a seating capacity of 1500 offer space for instruction and numerous events/programs.

9. University of Delhi

According to the most recent NIRF 2021 rankings, the University of Delhi is placed 12 in the ‘University’ category and 19 in the ‘Overall’ category. It is one of the most prominent educational institutes in the country. Since its inception in 1922, Delhi University has developed to become one of India’s major institutions, with over 6 lakh students enrolled in UG, PG, certificate, diploma, PG diploma, and distance programs. 

The University of Delhi has two campuses: North and South. It is also associated with 90 colleges, 86 departments, 23 Centres, 16 faculties, and three institutions scattered across Delhi. DU provides nearly 500 programs that have been authorized by several academic and executive authorities, 209 of which have been considered for NAAC certification. The majority of the programs offered by the linked colleges are accredited individually. 

It is also a member of numerous prestigious organizations, including the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), and Universitas 21. In addition to full-time courses, its School of Open Learning (SOL Delhi University) provides distance-learning programs.

10. Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad

The Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, or IITH, is a second-generation IIT founded in 2008 alongside seven other IITs. IIT Hyderabad is an Institute of National Importance (INI), and it has been rated 601-650 by QS World Ranking 2021 for the first time. However, according to NIRF Rankings 2020, it was placed 8 in Engineering and 17 in the overall category last year. 

IIT Hyderabad, founded by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, is a government institute that provides undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate programs in fields such as engineering, science, liberal arts, design, and management. IITH has signed various national and international Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with corporations and institutions for academic and professional partnership.

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