NIRF 2026 Sustainable Development Goals Rankings: India's Leading Institutes for Sustainability

Key facts

• The NIRF 2026 Rankings are expected to be released soon by the Ministry of Education.
• The Sustainable Development Goals category was introduced in NIRF 2025 as a new addition, shifting the total national ranking categories from 16 to 17.
• The SDG category measures institutions on sustainable campus practices such as energy efficiency, water conservation and waste management, alignment of research with the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals, community outreach, and diversity, equity and inclusivity on campus.
• As per NIRF 2025 data, 791 institutions are included in the Sustainable Development Goals category.
• IIT Madras, Chennai, established in 1959 and an Institute of National Importance, secured Rank 1 in the NIRF SDG ranking, becoming the first institute nationwide to achieve this milestone in 2025, recognized for higher technical education, green technology initiatives, and basic & applied research.
• Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, also known as Pusa Institute and established in 1905, secured Rank 2 based on agricultural research, food security advancement, and sustainable farming development.
• Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, established in 1920 and granted Central University status in 1988, secured Rank 3, reflecting its commitment to social inclusion, environmental studies, and community outreach.
• In the NIRF 2025 SDG category, Rank 4 was secured by S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology (Chennai, Tamil Nadu), Rank 5 by Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Manipal, Karnataka), Rank 6 by IIT Roorkee (Uttarakhand), and Rank 7 by Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi).
• Ranks 8 to 10 in the NIRF 2025 SDG category went to IIT Delhi (New Delhi), NIT Rourkela (Odisha), and Banaras Hindu University (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) respectively.