(This story appeared in Outlook magazine’s August 17 issue, 'Parliament on Street', which takes an incisive look at the student protests against recurring examination paper leaks, the zing of Gen-Z politics and the Jantar Mantar protest at Delhi which triggered a strong response all across India, sending out a clear reminder that while governments are formed in Parliament, democracies remain alive on the streets)
Outlook-ICARE Rankings 2026: Top 20 Central Universities
Are you looking for the top Central Universities in India? Check out Outlook-ICARE's annual ranking of India’s top 20 Central Universities for 2026 to make an informed choice based on multiple parameters.
| RANK 2026 | UNIVERSITY NAME | STATE | ACADEMIC & RESEARCH EXCELLENCE 400 | INDUSTRY INTERFACE & PLACEMENT 200 | INFRASTRUCTURE & FACILITIES 150 | GOVERNANCE & EXTENSION 150 | DIVERSITY & OUTREACH 100 | TOTAL SCORE 1000 |
| 1 | JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY NEW DELHI | Delhi | 394.04 | 171.41 | 133.86 | 135.86 | 80.44 | 915.61 |
| 2 | BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY VARANASI | Uttar Pradesh | 396.37 | 172.2 | 134.68 | 136.98 | 74.53 | 914.76 |
| 3 | UNIVERSITY OF DELHI DELHI | Delhi | 381.67 | 168.18 | 144.09 | 143.8 | 76.7 | 914.44 |
| 4 | UNIVERSITY OF HYDERABAD HYDERABAD | Telangana | 388.97 | 176.97 | 127.24 | 121.01 | 76.44 | 890.63 |
| 5 | TEZPUR UNIVERSITY TEZPUR | Assam | 388.76 | 169.35 | 135.24 | 115.83 | 66.34 | 875.52 |
| 6 | NORTH EASTERN HILL UNIVERSITY SHILLONG | Meghalaya | 368.81 | 156.1 | 128.7 | 138.65 | 81.41 | 873.67 |
| 7 | VISVA BHARATI UNIVERSITY SANTINIKETAN | West Bengal | 377.18 | 173.71 | 132.73 | 123.02 | 66.71 | 873.35 |
| 8 | BABASAHEB BHIMRAO AMBEDKAR UNIVERSITY LUCKNOW | Uttar Pradesh | 380.97 | 179.6 | 100.97 | 121.81 | 88.52 | 871.87 |
| 9 | CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF PUNJAB BATHINDA | Punjab | 366.86 | 172.2 | 123.96 | 124.46 | 83.58 | 871.06 |
| 10 | ASSAM UNIVERSITY SILCHAR | Assam | 354.36 | 186.79 | 130.68 | 107.88 | 76.68 | 856.39 |
| 11 | CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF KERALA KASARAGOD | Kerala | 343.34 | 162.91 | 131.78 | 137.96 | 78.28 | 854.27 |
| 12 | MANIPUR UNIVERSITY IMPHAL | Manipur | 362.3 | 155.76 | 110 | 133.71 | 91.79 | 853.56 |
| 13 | MIZORAM UNIVERSITY AIZAWL | Mizoram | 377.15 | 174.59 | 103.23 | 112.96 | 84.3 | 852.23 |
| 14 | SIKKIM UNIVERSITY GANGTOK | Sikkim | 375.04 | 164.02 | 119.18 | 107.92 | 78.19 | 844.35 |
| 15 | CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF RAJASTHAN BANDAR SINDRI | Rajasthan | 355.14 | 157.54 | 131.21 | 116.17 | 82 | 842.06 |
| 16 | CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF TAMIL NADU TIRUVARUR | Tamil Nadu | 382.01 | 152.22 | 95.69 | 141.78 | 67.86 | 839.56 |
| 17 | DR. HARISINGH GOUR UNIVERSITY SAGAR | Madhya Pradesh | 371.22 | 162.67 | 110.52 | 114.64 | 76.38 | 835.43 |
| 18 | RAJIV GANDHI UNIVERSITY ITANAGAR | Arunachal Pradesh | 351.79 | 162.35 | 122.71 | 109.49 | 80.02 | 826.36 |
| 19 | CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF HARYANA Mahendergarh | Haryana | 356.97 | 178.87 | 105.57 | 106.94 | 77.31 | 825.66 |
| 20 | ENGLISH AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES UNIVERSITY HYDERABAD | Telangana | 360.14 | 171.19 | 100.01 | 111.75 | 82.01 | 825.1 |
Published At:
Tags
Education Universities Higher Education Top Central Universities In India Central Universities Indian Universities Best University In India Outlook Ranks Ranking & Stats Top Universities In India Outlook Ranking Outlook Ranking Of Top Central Universities In India Outlook-ICARE Best Universities Ranking 2026 India’s Best Universities 2026