NIRF Rankings 2025: IARI Tops, Private Universities Like LPU and Amity Rising in Agriculture Category

On September 4, the Ministry of Education published the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025 rankings, which show the best colleges and universities in 17 categories, including agriculture and allied sciences. Delhi Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has topped the list 10th time consecutively in this critical category, closely trailed by the ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, Haryana. Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) retained the third position and remained one of the major actors in agricultural learning. 

NIRF 2025 Agriculture and Allied Sectors top 10 institutes 

• Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi
• ICAR - National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, Haryana
• Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab
• Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
• Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh
• Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
• Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology, Kashmir
• Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Fisheries University, Mumbai
• G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand
• Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana

Agriculture Institutes NIRF Rankings 

Agriculture has stood as a pillar of the Indian economy, providing more than 15 per cent of the GDP and a large number of people with employment. The NIRF rankings measure teaching quality, research, practices, resources, and the excellence of the institutions, so they are credible resources when students are planning a career in the sphere of agriculture and other related fields.

IARI, New Delhi, enhanced its academic and research excellence image by securing the top spot again with a high rating, indicating strong faculty, advanced research initiatives and industry connectivity. The second one is the National Dairy Research Institute of Karnal, popularly referred to as ICAR, and it is ranked second due to its innovativeness in researching and extension services in dairy. With a slight increase in the ranking score, Punjab Agricultural University, which is in the top three due to its role in crop science and sustainable agricultural practices, is still in the top three.

Other Agriculture Institutions 

Other institutions that made it to the top ten list are Banaras Hindu University, the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) at Izatnagar, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology of Kashmir. These institutions have a good reputation in their specialised courses in veterinary science, horticulture, fisheries and food technology. 

More importantly, the rankings also show increased influence of the private universities like Amity University and Lovely Professional University in the top 20, indicative of a broader increase in quality of agricultural education than the traditional universities. 

Why These Rankings Matter

These rankings offer crucial information to a student wanting to pursue quality education and research in agriculture and other related sectors, in ensuring India meets its food security, rural employment, and sustainable development objectives.

This list can serve as a reference point to students who intend to pursue a career in agriculture, searching primarily at the institutions that provide high-tech education, high-quality infrastructure, and industry links that will improve employability and growth opportunities.