From 16 to 91: Pune University’s Dramatic Slide in NIRF Rankings Over 7 Years
SPPU Opens Admissions For UG, PG 2026–27 Academic Year; Applications Open Till May 15
Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), once ranked among India’s leading public universities, has witnessed a steep fall in its standing. In the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025, SPPU slipped to Rank 91 in the overall category—a stark contrast to its impressive Rank 16 in 2018 and Rank 37 just last year.
The seven-year decline has been consistent across four of the five NIRF parameters—Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR), Research & Professional Practice (RPC), Graduation Outcomes (GO), and Outreach & Inclusivity (OI). The only relatively stable metric has been Perception, though without notable gains.
A major setback came in the TLR category, where SPPU’s score dropped from 70.70 in 2018 to 51.46 in 2025. The university has attributed this fall largely to faculty shortages following mass retirements. With no permanent recruitment in recent years, the Faculty-Student Ratio (FSR)—a critical factor in NIRF rankings—has deteriorated further, especially as student intake rose under the National Education Policy (NEP). The loss of senior faculty has also dented research productivity.
“Over the past two years, many senior professors retired, which significantly affected both the FSR and our research output,” SPPU said in a statement. “While 86 assistant professors have been hired on a contractual basis and 52 more positions advertised, the lack of permanent appointments remains a challenge.”
Faculty members echo these concerns. A senior professor pointed out that fewer than 25% of posts in some departments are filled by permanent staff. “There has been no recruitment for nearly a decade, and research funding is virtually absent,” the professor said, adding that even the small budgetary allocations rarely reach researchers. Most departments rely on national bodies like UGC or ICSSR for grants, but these are increasingly narrow in scope, limiting academic freedom.
The professor also questioned the sharp fall in a single year, suggesting that NIRF’s own methodology needs more transparency and consistency. Notably, the Madras High Court had briefly stayed this year’s rankings after a PIL challenged their credibility, though the court later upheld the government’s defence of the system.
Despite setbacks, SPPU maintains that corrective steps are underway. The university said it is prioritizing faculty recruitment, strengthening research outcomes, and improving public perception—initiatives it hopes will help restore its ranking in the coming years.
Meanwhile, other Pune-based institutions performed better in the 2025 NIRF list. Symbiosis International (Deemed University) secured Rank 40 overall and 24 among universities, with strong showings for its law and management schools. IISER Pune ranked 55, while Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth stood at 71.
