Building on its NAAC A achievement earlier this year, the University of Kashmir (KU) has marked a significant rise in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025, released by the Ministry of Education. KU has secured 34th rank (57.13 points) in the University Category, up from 45th rank (54.43 points) in 2024.
In the Overall Category, KU climbed to 59th rank (54.31 points), improving from 69th (52.14 points) last year. Impressively, it now ranks 8th among all State Public Universities (SPUs) in India, and continues to be the only university from Jammu & Kashmir in the nation’s top-50 universities.
This improvement is largely driven by stronger performance in Research and Professional Practices (RP), where KU's score rose to 34.74 from 31.25 last year. In particular, its Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) score for patent filings surged to 1.25, up from 0.50, reflecting a growing focus on innovation. The Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR) score also improved to 74.05, from 71.14 in 2024.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nilofer Khan hailed the achievement as a “proud moment” and thanked KU’s leadership, faculty, students, and non-teaching staff for their contribution. She also expressed gratitude to Chancellor Manoj Sinha, Pro-Chancellor Omar Abdullah, Higher Education Minister Sakina Itoo, and Additional Chief Secretary Shantmanu (IAS) for their continuous support.
She commended Director DIQA Prof. Manzoor Shah and his team for professionally managing the ranking exercise.
Prof. Shariefuddin Pirzada, Dean Academic Affairs, said KU's rise reflects a “robust academic ecosystem,” while Dean Research Prof. Mohammad Sultan Bhat highlighted gains in research output and patent filings. Registrar Prof. Naseer Iqbal credited the university’s synergy and collective focus for the milestone.
In May 2025, KU became the first institution in J&K to be accredited under NAAC’s revised framework, earning an A grade with the highest CGPA in its history. This marks KU’s third consecutive year in India’s top-50 universities — a clear testament to its growing stature in higher education, research, and innovation.