Ranking and Performance of Indian Universities

ABSTRACT Almost every communication media made the news of three Indian institutions appearing in Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World Rankings 2022 a headline, highlighting the importance of finding a place in the coveted ranking. Such rankings provide Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) a reason to pursue excellence in their operations. These rankings are also in the interests of the students and other stakeholders. National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), also known as India Ranking, was introduced in 2015 by the Ministry of Education, Government of India (erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Department). NIRF outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. Rankings obtained in the India Ranking 2017-20 have been analyzed in this study to assess the comparative performance of the top 100 universities. Statistical tests of chi square and Friedman tests show that rankings have remained consistent within the range for the top-performing universities. But, other than the top universities, there exists stiff competition for each ranking place. Overall, statistical analysis shows that rankings obtained by universities are not identical.