A Tangent Building

In the last few months, the limelight has been on the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), India’s elite educational institutions, albeit for all the wrong reasons. IIT Madras was in the news when a students’ group was suspended for their critical stand against the government. The director of IIT Delhi had a run-in with the Union HRD ministry and resigned. And then, IIT Bombay saw the head of its board of governors, the illustrious Anil Kakodkar, resign due to differences with the ministry in the selection of directors in some new IITs.

The issues are manifold—the IITs’ relationship with the government and autonomy, the eternal problem of finding good faculty and nurturing research. It is evident that even as the government moves forward in opening new IITs in various states, the older ones—they made the brand what it is today—are in some amount of difficulty. The government, which is at the root of many of the problems, needs to find a solution if it wants the IIT brand to survive. For, make no mistake here, it is the IITs which will lead the way and be the role model for all technical and engineering education in India.

Unfortunately, beyond the IITs and the next top 10 in our ranking, the demand for engineering colleges is on the wane. And dramatically so. There has been a sheer drop in demand for seats in the last couple of years. In key states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, engineering seats have no takers. This year only 1.07 lakh candidates in Maharashtra’s 370 engineering colleges have confirmed their admission for 1.56 lakh seats. In Tamil Nadu, which has the largest concentration of engineering colleges in the country, the situation is no different. According to estimates, there is a 20 per cent decrease in the number of applicants for the single window counselling for engineering colleges. About 1.2 lakh seats are expected to remain vacant this year. In such a situation, Outlook’s ranking of India’s Best Professional Colleges—in partnership with Drshti Strategic Services—holds much significance. The IITs have not disappointed. The turmoil has not reflected in their position in Outlook’s 10th Professional Colleges ranking, with the older IITs continuing to dominate. Like last year, the six older IITs, Delhi, Bombay, Kharagpur, Madras, Kanpur and Varanasi, still hold the six pole positions this year—a repeat of the situation last year. In fact, there is little change in the top 25 positions, which shows that the quality of the top engineering institutions has not changed much and they have remained cemented to their positions.

The rankings also show how other colleges across the country are faring in the eyes of students, recruiters and the faculty. What is heartening is the entry of many new players in Outlook’s rankings this year. Looking at the quality of colleges entering the fray and the healthy overall marks secured by them in the rankings, we have increased last year’s Top 75 to a Top 100 listing this year. This, we feel, should give a more holistic picture of engineering education in India. Similarly, in medical colleges—though the universe is smaller—top colleges like AIIMS, AFMC and CMC have held on to pole positions. Our listing of seven other professional streams also shows just how robust and competitive the professional education space is. We would like to think Outlook’s survey helps in trying to bring out a more real, complete picture of India’s educational institutions. We look forward to your feedback on our website, www.outlookindia.com. As always, choose wisely.

Photograph by P. Anil Kumar

India’s Top Professional Colleges 2015

Outlook-Drshti Survey

Top 3 Engineering Colleges

1. IIT Delhi
2. IIT Bombay
3. IIT Kharagpur

Top 3 Medical Colleges

1. AIIMS, Delhi
2. AFMC, Pune
3. CMC, Vellore

Top 3 Law Colleges

1. NLSIU, Bangalore
2. NALSAR, Hyderabad
3. NUJS, Calcutta

Top 3 Dental Colleges

1. Maulana Azad Institute, Delhi
2. Manipal Dental College, Manipal
3. Govt Dental College, Mumbai

Top 3 Architecture

1. Sir JJ College of Architecture, Mumbai
2. SPA, Delhi
3. Dept of Architecture, IIT Roorkee

Top 3 Mass Communication

1. A.J. Kidwai School, JMI, Delhi
2. Symbiosis Institute of Media, Pune
3. Xavier Institute of Comm, Mumbai

Top 3 Colleges For Social Work

1. TISS, Mumbai
2. Dept of Social Work, Delhi
3. Madras School of Social Work, Chennai

Top 3 Hotel Management Colleges

1. IHM-Pusa, Delhi
2. IHM-Mumbai
3. Welcomgroup Grad School, Manipal

Top 3 Fashion Technology

1. NIFT, Delhi
2. NIFT, Navi Mumbai
3. NIFT, Bangalore