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Top NIT Colleges in India: Rankings, Courses, Fees & Admissions
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India has 31 National Institutes of Technology operating under the NITSER Act. While online lists often refer to a handful of "Tier 1" NITs, NIRF ranks all 31 institutes on the same scale. This guide lists all 31 NITs using official NIRF 2025 engineering scores, breakdown of B.Tech tuition fees, JoSAA counselling cutoff trends, and verified placement median statistics.
India has 31 National Institutes of Technology, all governed under the National Institutes of Technology Act, 2007. Only four or five of these top NIT colleges in India are commonly referred to as “Tier 1” online. No government body has officially defined this term, and NIRF evaluates all 31 institutes on the same scale each year.
This guide gives the list of NITs in India rank wise, using that official score. It explains where the label for tier 1 NIT colleges in India actually comes from, and what a real seat costs. Three things decide the best NIT colleges in India. They are the latest NIRF score, the JoSAA closing rank, and the placement median an institute actually reports. Where a claim cannot be checked against an official source, this guide says so instead of guessing. It starts with a simple fact: how many NIT colleges in India there are.
31
NIT colleges in India
NIT Act, 2007, First Schedule
9
Best NIT rank in NIRF Engineering
NIT Tiruchirappalli, NIRF 2025
Rs 6.6-6.7 lakh
4-year B.Tech cost, top income slab
AY 2025-26, two NITs checked
5
Rounds in JoSAA counselling
JoSAA 2026 schedule
How Many NIT Colleges in India Are There Today?
India has 31 National Institutes of Technology. The exact list sits in the First Schedule of the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research Act, 2007. This Act made every one of them an Institute of National Importance. That is the honest answer to how many NIT colleges in India exist, because it comes from the statute itself, not from a college-listing website (source: [NITSER Act, 2007, comprehensive edition], hosted by NIT Karnataka, Surathkal).
No 32nd NIT has been announced. The last batch of new NITs went to states that previously had none. That group was folded into this same schedule over a decade ago, and the answer to how many NIT colleges in India there are has held at 31 since.
Do all NIT colleges in India admit through the same exam?
Yes. Every one of the 31 NITs admits its B.Tech and B.Arch batch through JEE Main, then JoSAA counselling. None of the NIT colleges in India runs its own separate entrance test for these programmes.
That answers how many NIT colleges in India use JoSAA: all 31. That single admission route is also why this list can compare the best NIT colleges in India and the rest fairly. A JEE Main rank means the same thing at every NIT. What differs is the rank a given branch and quota actually needs, which is what the cutoff section below covers.
List of NITs in India Rank Wise (NIRF 2025 Engineering)
This list of NITs in India rank wise carries all 31 statutory NITs, which also shows how many NIT colleges in India have a published NIRF rank: 22 of the 31. Each is ordered by its NIRF 2025 Engineering rank, where one exists. NIRF, run by the Ministry of Education, released this edition on 4 September 2025. NIRF 2026 had not been published as of September 2026, so this remains the current cycle (source: [NIRF India Rankings 2025, Engineering].
No single official page gives a list of NITs in India rank wise with only these 31 institutes. NIRF's own table mixes NITs with IITs and private colleges, and a candidate has to search each name separately. This table pulls just the NITs out of that same official ranking, in order.
| Rank (NIRF 2025 Engineering) | NIT | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli | 68.14 |
| 13 | National Institute of Technology, Rourkela | 66.62 |
| 17 | National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal | 64.59 |
| 21 | National Institute of Technology, Calicut | 63.05 |
| 28 | National Institute of Technology, Warangal | 61.05 |
| 42 | Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur | 57.45 |
| 44 | Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur | 56.58 |
| 49 | National Institute of Technology, Durgapur | 55.94 |
| 50 | National Institute of Technology, Silchar | 55.91 |
| 53 | National Institute of Technology, Patna | 53.89 |
| 55 | Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar | 53.38 |
| 62 | Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad | 52.15 |
| 65 | National Institute of Technology, Delhi | 50.79 |
| 66 | Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat | 50.77 |
| 73 | National Institute of Technology, Srinagar | 50.23 |
| 81 | Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal | 48.26 |
| 82 | National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur | 48.25 |
| 83 | National Institute of Technology, Meghalaya | 48.21 |
| 85 | National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra | 47.98 |
| 86 | National Institute of Technology, Raipur | 47.59 |
| 97 | National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur | 46.10 |
| 99 | National Institute of Technology, Puducherry | 45.83 |
| Not in the published top 100 | National Institute of Technology, Agartala | Not published |
| Not in the published top 100 | National Institute of Technology, Goa | Not published |
| Not in the published top 100 | National Institute of Technology, Uttarakhand | Not published |
| Not in the published top 100 | National Institute of Technology, Manipur | Not published |
| Not in the published top 100 | National Institute of Technology, Mizoram | Not published |
| Not in the published top 100 | National Institute of Technology, Nagaland | Not published |
| Not in the published top 100 | National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh | Not published |
| Not in the published top 100 | National Institute of Technology, Sikkim | Not published |
| Not in the published top 100 | National Institute of Technology, Andhra Pradesh | Not published |
Data Sources: NIRF India Rankings 2025, Engineering, nirfindia.org.
The nine NIT colleges in India at the bottom of this list of NITs in India rank wise are mostly the newest ones, set up to give every state its own NIT. Not appearing in NIRF's published top 100 is not the same as being ranked last. It means NIRF's public table simply does not extend far enough to show a position for them this year.
This list of NITs in India rank wise shows scores, but a rank alone will not tell you which of these 31 gets called "Tier 1" by your coaching centre or senior. That label comes from somewhere else.
What Does "Tier 1" Mean for NIT Colleges in India?
Tier 1 NIT is not an official category. The list of NITs in India rank wise carries no tiers, and NIRF does not group institutes into tiers. The Ministry of Education does not either. JoSAA, which runs NIT counselling, allots seats branch by branch and never publishes a tier list. The phrase tier 1 NIT colleges in India is student and coaching-centre shorthand, and different sources draw its line differently.
Which are the best NIT colleges in India is not settled by tier labels. Three things drive the informal label, roughly in the order recruiters and rank-watchers weigh them:
- JoSAA closing rank. How hard the seat actually is to get, branch for branch.
- NIRF Engineering score. The one official, comparable number across all 31.
- Placement median. What a typical graduate, not the topper, actually earns.
NIT Tiruchirappalli, NIT Warangal, NIT Karnataka Surathkal, NIT Rourkela and NIT Calicut. All five sit in NIRF 2025 Engineering's top 30, all five report placement medians NIRF and their own placement cells verify, and all five carry the tightest JoSAA closing ranks in the NIT system. No official body assigns them this label, so treat them as the informal tier 1 NIT colleges in India, not a fixed group.
Does age decide which are tier 1 NIT colleges in India?
No, and this is where the label misleads people most. Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad started life in 1961 as one of the country's original Regional Engineering Colleges (source: [MNNIT Allahabad, About Us]. That is the same era most of today's informal Tier 1 group also comes from. It still ranks 62nd in NIRF 2025 Engineering, well outside that group. Founding year and current rank are two different facts. Among all NIT colleges in India, only one of them should decide your JoSAA choice order.
The next question is not which group an NIT falls in. It is what each option in that group actually offers, and what it costs.
Best NIT Colleges in India: Rankings, Fees and Placements Compared
Which NITs have a full page on this site
NIT Calicut and MNIT Jaipur currently have complete fee, cutoff and placement pages on MSM Unify. Of how many NIT colleges in India are listed below, only these two have full pages. Every other NIT named below is ranked and sourced from official NIRF and JoSAA data, but its own detailed page is still being built.
Among the best NIT colleges in India, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli leads the entire NIT system, at rank 9 with a score of 68.14. National Institute of Technology, Warangal, rank 28, sits close behind on rank and on placement reputation. So does National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, at rank 17. National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, rank 13, rounds out the group most coaching centres call tier 1 NIT colleges in India.
National Institute of Technology, Calicut is the fifth name in that group, at rank 21 with a score of 63.05. It is one of the two NITs with a full published page here. Its Engineering rank sits mid-table among the five. Its Architecture and Planning programme ranks 2nd in the whole country in NIRF 2025, behind only IIT Roorkee, which makes it one of the best NIT colleges in India for architecture. For the complete fee, cutoff and placement breakdown, see the NIT Calicut college profile.
Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur is the other NIT with a full page here. It sits just outside the informal Tier 1 group, at rank 42 in NIRF 2025 Engineering. Its Computer Science branch alone reported a Rs 13 lakh median package for the 2024-25 batch. That is close to what the higher-ranked group reports institute-wide. The fee structure, JoSAA closing ranks and branch-wise placement table sit on the MNIT Jaipur college profile.
Why does one of the best NIT colleges in India rank 2nd for architecture but 21st for engineering?
Because NIRF ranks by discipline, not by one combined score. NIT Calicut's overall Engineering rank of 21 says nothing about its Architecture and Planning rank of 2. Read the category that matches the programme you are actually applying to, not the institute's headline rank, whichever of the NIT colleges in India you are comparing.
Fees at NIT Colleges in India: What Should You Budget?
A four-year B.Tech at NIT colleges in India costs about Rs 6.6 to 6.7 lakh at the top income slab. That figure is based on the two fee circulars checked for this guide. NIT Calicut's own AY 2025-26 circular puts the full four-year cost at Rs 6,63,000, for a family earning above Rs 5 lakh a year. MNIT Jaipur's AY 2025-26 circular works out to roughly Rs 6.7 lakh for the same income slab (sources: NIT Calicut Fee Structure, AY 2025-26; MNIT Jaipur B.Tech Fee Circular, AY 2025-26).
Both institutes use the same three-slab, income-linked structure. Both answer to the same Ministry of Education fee policy for centrally funded technical institutes:
| Family income | Tuition per semester | 4-year B.Tech cost, approximate |
|---|---|---|
| Above Rs 5 lakh a year (General, EWS, OBC-NCL) | Rs 62,500 | Rs 6.6 to 6.7 lakh |
| Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh a year | About Rs 20,834 | About Rs 3.3 lakh |
| Below Rs 1 lakh a year, and all SC, ST and PwD students | Nil | About Rs 1.6 to 1.7 lakh |
Data Sources: NIT Calicut Fee Structure AY 2025-26; MNIT Jaipur B.Tech Fee Circular AY 2025-26.
This guide checked only these two fee circulars directly. Most NIT colleges in India are believed to follow a similar income-linked slab, since the policy comes from the same ministry. Confirm your target NIT's own current-year circular before you budget. Never assume one NIT's exact rupee figure applies to another.
What does the fee not include?
Hostel rent, mess charges and a one-time admission deposit sit outside the tuition figure above. Even at the best NIT colleges in India, these costs come on top. NIT Calicut charges Rs 12,000 hostel seat rent a semester on top of tuition. Budget separately for both, using your target NIT's own hostel notice.
Admission to NIT Colleges in India: JEE Main, JoSAA and CSAB
Every seat in NIT colleges in India for B.Tech and B.Arch comes through JEE Main, then JoSAA, then CSAB for any seats still open. JEE Advanced plays no part in this route. That exam gates the IITs only. A candidate targeting NIT colleges in India alone does not need to sit for it. The same route applies to the best NIT colleges in India and the newest ones.
21 to 24 and 28 to 29 January 2026
JEE Main 2026, Session 1
Conducted by the National Testing Agency.
2 and 4 to 8 April 2026
JEE Main 2026, Session 2
Paper 1 score declared 20 April 2026.
2 to 11 June 2026
JoSAA 2026 registration and choice filling
Candidates register and lock branch and institute choices at josaa.nic.in.
13 June to 20 July 2026
JoSAA 2026, 5 seat allotment rounds
Round 1 on 13 June, through Round 5 on 16 July, with reporting and fee payment closing 20 July.
28 July to 18 August 2026
CSAB 2026 special rounds
Fills NIT, IIIT and GFTI seats still vacant after JoSAA's regular rounds close.
Data Sources: JoSAA 2026 official schedule, josaa.nic.in; NIT Calicut Undergraduate Admissions page.
Can you apply to NIT colleges in India directly, outside JoSAA?
No. None of the 31 NIT colleges in India runs its own direct application form for B.Tech or B.Arch. A JEE Main score with no JoSAA registration gets you nothing. Whether you aim for the best NIT colleges in India or a newer one, registering for JoSAA within its stated window is the only door in.
Cutoffs at NIT Colleges in India: How Selective Is a "Good" Seat?
A cutoff at NIT colleges in India is a JoSAA closing rank, not a percentile or a mark. It is different for every branch, quota, category and round. Even the best NIT colleges in India have no single "NIT cutoff" number. There is a separate one for each combination. Mixing them up is the most common mistake a first-time applicant makes.
MNIT Jaipur's own 2025 JoSAA data shows how wide this spread runs inside one institute. Computer Science and Engineering, Open category, closed at rank 4,748 under the Other State quota. Civil Engineering, the same category and quota, closed at rank 30,890.
| Branch | Quota | 2025 closing rank (Open) |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science and Engineering | Other State | 4,748 |
| Computer Science and Engineering | Home State | 5,629 |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering | Other State | 8,614 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Other State | 17,685 |
| Civil Engineering | Home State | 27,034 |
| Architecture (B.Arch) | Other State | 525 |
Data Sources: JoSAA 2025 counselling data, MNIT Jaipur.
Do tier 1 NIT colleges in India always close tighter than lower-ranked ones?
Usually, in the popular branches. A Computer Science seat at tier 1 NIT colleges in India can close within the first few thousand JEE Main ranks nationwide. A less popular branch at a newer or lower-ranked NIT, such as Metallurgical or Civil Engineering, can still have seats open into the tens of thousands. The branch you pick moves your odds more than the institute's place in the list of NITs in India rank wise does.
Where do you check the exact rank for your target branch?
JoSAA's own opening and closing rank archive, at josaa.nic.in, is the only source that is both official and complete for NIT colleges in India. Pick the year, round, institute type, institute name, branch and category, and it returns the exact rank for that combination. That answers how many NIT colleges in India you can check there: all of them.
Placements at NIT Colleges in India: What Do Graduates Earn?
A typical graduate of NIT colleges in India earns closer to the median salary an institute reports than to the highest offer it publicises. The gap between the two figures runs three to six times over, at the two NITs checked for this guide. These two are a sample of how many NIT colleges in India exist: 31 in all. The median matters more than the highest offer, even for tier 1 NIT colleges in India.
NIT Calicut's undergraduate median for the AY 2023-24 batch was Rs 12,50,000. Its publicised highest offer was Rs 47 lakh, a gap of roughly 3.8 times (source: NIRF 2025 Engineering data, NIT Calicut). MNIT Jaipur's 2024-25 median was Rs 10 lakh, against a highest offer of Rs 64 lakh. That gap runs roughly 6.4 times (source: MNIT Jaipur Placement Report 2024-25).
| Institute | Median package | Highest offer | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIT Calicut (AY 2023-24) | Rs 12,50,000 | Rs 47 lakh | About 3.8 times |
| MNIT Jaipur (2024-25) | Rs 10,00,000 | Rs 64 lakh | About 6.4 times |
Data Sources: NIRF 2025 Engineering data submission, NIT Calicut; MNIT Jaipur Placement Report 2024-25.
Branch matters more than an institute's place in the list of NITs in India rank wise here too. MNIT Jaipur's Computer Science median was Rs 13 lakh in 2024-25, against Rs 7.5 lakh for Civil Engineering in the same drive. NIT Calicut reports a similar spread, with Computer Science averaging Rs 22.03 lakh against an institute-wide average of Rs 14.29 lakh.
Should you pick a higher-ranked NIT or a better branch at a lower-ranked one?
Check the branch-wise placement table before the institute rank. Among the best NIT colleges in India, a strong branch at a rank-42 NIT can out-earn a weak branch at a rank-9 NIT. Neither of the two full pages on this site hides that gap, and you should ask for it from any NIT that does.
NIT Colleges in India FAQs
How many NIT colleges in India are there?
India has 31 National Institutes of Technology, listed in the First Schedule of the NIT Act, 2007. No 32nd NIT has been added since that schedule was last updated, so how many NIT colleges in India exist has one answer: 31. Data source: NITSER Act, 2007, comprehensive edition.
Which are the best NIT colleges in India?
By NIRF 2025 Engineering score, NIT Tiruchirappalli (rank 9), NIT Rourkela (13), NIT Karnataka Surathkal (17), NIT Calicut (21) and NIT Warangal (28) rank highest among all 31 of the best NIT colleges in India. Data source: NIRF India Rankings 2025, Engineering.
What are tier 1 NIT colleges in India?
No official body defines tier 1 NIT colleges in India. It is not a list of the best NIT colleges in India, only informal shorthand, usually applied to the five NITs that rank inside NIRF 2025 Engineering's top 30 and also report the tightest JoSAA closing ranks and the highest placement medians. Data source: NIRF India Rankings 2025; JoSAA counselling data.
Is MNIT Jaipur among the tier 1 NIT colleges in India?
No, MNIT Jaipur is not usually placed among the tier 1 NIT colleges in India, since it ranks 42nd in NIRF 2025 Engineering against the top-30 band that group occupies. Its Computer Science branch still reports a strong Rs 13 lakh median package for 2024-25. Data source: NIRF India Rankings 2025; MNIT Jaipur Placement Report 2024-25.
NIT Calicut sits in the group of tier 1 NIT colleges in India. If you already have a JEE Main rank in hand, NIT Calicut and MNIT Jaipur are the two names in the list of NITs in India rank wise with a complete fee-to-placement breakdown available right now, linked in the comparison section above. That is how many NIT colleges in India have a full breakdown today: two. Every other NIT here is ranked and sourced from official NIRF and JoSAA data today, and will get its own full page as this project's coverage grows. Keep the list of NITs in India rank wise beside you while you shortlist.