Chandigarh: Educational institutions from Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh have failed to break into the top 10 institutes of National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025 overall rankings.

Despite absence from the highest bracket, institutes from the region posted strong performances in specialised categories such as agriculture and allied sectors, pharmacy, management, law, and innovation, underlining their niche strengths.

In the overall rankings, Chandigarh University was the highest ranked from the region, placed 32nd. It was followed by Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (44), Lovely Professional University (49), IIT-Ropar (56), and IIT-Mandi (58). IISER-Mohali was ranked 70th, and Punjab Agricultural University 81st.

In the university category, Chandigarh University led the region at Rank 19, with Thapar Institute (26) and Lovely Professional University (31) also among the top 50. Punjab Agricultural University was placed 64th, while Himachal Pradesh’s Shoolini University stood at 69. The Central University of Punjab (77) and Chitkara University (78) also featured in the top 100.

Punjab-based private institutions performed strongly in research. Chandigarh University ranked 34th, Lovely Professional University 40th, Thapar Institute 42nd, and IIT Ropar 47th. No institute from Haryana or Himachal Pradesh figured in the top 50. Punjab dominated engineering rankings from the region. Thapar Institute ranked 29th, followed by Chandigarh University (31), IIT Ropar (32), and Lovely Professional University (48). NIT Jalandhar stood at 55, Sant Longowal Institute at 79, Chitkara University at 89, NIT Kurukshetra at 85, and NIT Hamirpur at 97.

In the management category, the Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurugram, Haryana, secured a top 10 slot at rank 9, while IIM-Rohtak ranked 19th. Chandigarh University (32), Lovely Professional University (44), and Thapar Institute (46) represented Punjab. Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurugram (50), and IIM-Sirmaur (51) also featured, alongside IIM-Amritsar (64).

Institutions from Punjab and Haryana excelled in pharmacy. NIPER-Mohali ranked 9th nationally, while LPU (13), Chandigarh University (15), Chitkara University (16), and the Central University of Punjab (20) were also placed high. ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, ranked 25th, followed by Maharishi Markandeshwar University (26) and Shoolini University (44). Guru Jambheshwar University, Punjabi University Patiala, and Chandigarh College of Pharmacy also secured positions in the top 100.

In medical rankings, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Haryana) stood at 33, Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana, at 36, and Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, at 47. No Himachal institution featured in the top 50. In dental, Postgraduate Institute of Dental Sciences, Rohtak, ranked 12, while Christian Dental College, Ludhiana, was 24th. In law, Lovely Professional University ranked 26th, HPNLU Shimla 34th, Army Institute of Law Mohali 37th, Amity University Gurugram 39th, and the Central University of Punjab 40th.

Chandigarh University secured rank 14 in architecture and planning, LPU 24, NIT Hamirpur 30, and Chitkara University 38. No institute from Haryana was in the top 40.

Agriculture & allied Sectors was the region’s strongest showing. ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, secured the 2nd position nationally, while Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, ranked 3rd. Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, was 10th, giving Haryana two top-10 institutions. LPU (17), Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (20), and GADVASU (30) also figured prominently.

IIT-Mandi was the only institute from the region to break into the top 10 in innovation, ranking 10th. Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, Haryana, ranked 3rd in the skill university category.

Among the state public universities, Punjab Agricultural University ranked 28th among state public universities. Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology (32), Kurukshetra University (35), and Maharshi Dayanand University (46) represented Haryana. No college from Punjab, Haryana, or Himachal figured in the top 100 college rankings. Similarly, no institute from the region was listed among the top Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) institutions.

India Rankings 2025: Overall

Name of Institution | State | Score | Rank

Chandigarh University | Punjab | 59.55 | 32

Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (Deemed-to-be-university) | Punjab | 56.21 | 44

Lovely Professional University | Punjab | 55.49 | 49

Indian Institute of Technology Ropar | Punjab | 54.76 | 56

Indian Institute of Technology Mandi | Himachal Pradesh | 54.52 | 58

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali | Punjab | 52.68 | 70

Punjab Agricultural University | Punjab | 51.03 | 81