Top 20 universities in India are about those institutions that are considered to be fine abodes for higher learning. These institutions are for those who wish to pursue higher education. The top 20 universities are located across India and offer various courses.

While some of these top 20 universities in India are known for offering certain specific courses, many of them offer programmes that belong to other streams. For example, IIT Madras which is one of the top 20 universities in India is known for offering engineering courses, students can even join there to study courses related to arts and humanities and management.

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The objective behind bringing out the top 20 universities in India is to inform the students about popular institutions that can be considered for studying various courses while they seek admission. The list of top 20 universities in India are given below:

1. Jawaharlal Nehru University

The talk about higher education institutions in our country would glorify this university. This is perhaps the first institution that would come into our minds when it comes to accessing higher education.

The journey of this great institution began in 1969 and was named after Jawaharlal Nehru who was the first Prime Minister of India.

The great features of this institution do not end there, it has exchange programmes and academic collaboration through the signing of MoUs with 71 universities around the world.

The atmosphere here for studies is very ideal and the faculty here is highly qualified and they leave no stone unturned when it comes to shaping the students into able citizens.

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The university has School of Arts and Aesthetics, School of Biotechnology, School of Physical Sciences and much more that offer various courses. The university also offers doctorate programmes in various subjects.

This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘https://www.jnu.ac.in/main/’

2. Delhi University

National capital of India has no dearth of high worth institutions and this university is one among them. The name of this institution always features among the highly admired organisations of our country.

Students from across the country become a part of this university to learn various courses every year. Atmosphere here for studies is very ideal for studies. The university began its innings in 1922 as a unitary teaching and residential University by the Act of the then Central Legislative Assembly.

The excellence has become a norm here long ago. It strictly adheres to standards and delivers high quality education which has taken the fame of this university to foreign shores also.

The vision of this institution is to be an internationally acclaimed University that is recognized for excellence in teaching, research and outreach.

It aspires to foster all-round development of students through multi-faceted education and sustained engagement with local, national and global communities.

This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘http://www.du.ac.in/index.php’

3. IIT Hyderabad

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) is one of the eight new IITs established by the Government of India in 2008.

In a short span of 12 years, IIT Hyderabad has become a top ranker and currently has 242 full-time faculty, 3,491 students (20% women), and nearly 200 state-of-the-art laboratories, and five research and entrepreneurship
centers.

The institute has a strong research focus with approx Rs 575 crore of sanctioned research funding with PhD scholars accounting for about 30% of total student strength.

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IIT Hyderabad has to its credit more than 6000 research publications, 195 patent disclosures, 1440 sponsored/consultancy projects, and about 50 startups.

This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘https://www.iith.ac.in/’

4. NIT Warangal

NIT Warangal is the first NIT of India to be established in 1959 by then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. They offer programmes in 14 departments and is one among the top 20 universities in India.

The Institute is well known for its dedicated faculty, staff and the state-of-the art infrastructure conducive to a healthy academic environment.

It is constantly striving to achieve higher levels of technical excellence.  Evolving a socially relevant and yet internationally acceptable curriculum, implementing innovative and effective teaching methodologies and focusing on the wholesome development of the students are our concerns.

There are many courses that are offered here. Programmes offered are related to the field of Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics and much more.

The Institute is well known for its dedicated faculty, staff and the state-of-the art infrastructure conducive to a healthy academic environment. The Institute is constantly striving to achieve higher levels of technical excellence.

Evolving a socially relevant and yet internationally acceptable curriculum, implementing innovative and effective teaching methodologies and focusing on the wholesome development of the students are our concerns. The website to know more is ‘https://www.nitw.ac.in/’

5. Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University

Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad was established on 2 October 1972 by the legislature of the state of Andhra Pradesh as the first–ever Technological University in the country.

It has been in the forefront during the last forty four years in providing quality technical education of relevance in the State of Andhra Pradesh.

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After 37 years of relentless service to the society at large, JNT University was restructured into four different Universities namely JNT University Hyderabad, JNT University Anantapur, JNT University Kakinada and JNFAU by the Government of Andhra Pradesh vide Government Order No. 13, dated 18 August 2008 and the Act of State Legislature No. 30, dated September 2008.

From then, this university was re-designated as Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNTUH).

The jurisdiction of the University is entire Telangana State.

This institution has a reputation that is no less worthy. This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more about the institute is ‘https://jntuh.ac.in/’

6. NALSAR University of Law

There is no dearth of high worth institutions for studying law and this institution also attracts the attention students considerably every admission season.

Also known as National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law is located at Shamirpet in Telangana. The institution commenced its innings in 1998.

Top 20 Universities in Telangana – The institution was established by an act of State Legislative Assembly (Act 34 of 1998) by state of Andhra Pradesh.

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The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in law and postgraduate programs in business administration.

It is one of the autonomous law schools in India. It is spread over an area of 55 acres and is divided into five precincts.

NALSAR offers five year BA LLB Hons progamme and one year post graduate LLM programme.

The facilities for students are world class and the biggest asset of this institution is highly qualified faculty.

Needless to say this is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The official website to know more is ‘https://www.nalsar.ac.in/’

7. Osmania University

This is one of those institutions in India that needs no introduction. It is one of the most well-known organisations in higher education sector of India.

It has a vision of developing, enhancing, and improving the quality of human resources to meet the challenges of regional, national and global socio-economic changes.

It’s mission is to achieve excellence in teaching and research and to create opportunities for the students to contribute to the national and regional development.

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Top 10 Universities in Telangana – The university has 12 faculties and 53 departments and 560 teaching staff. As far as courses are concerned, the university offers 27 undergraduate programmes, 68 postgraduate courses, 24 postgraduate diploma courses and 15 certificate programmes.

Osmania University is named after its founder, Nawab Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad who rather through a farman or Royal Charter, brought the University into existence in 1918. It is the seventh oldest in the Country and third oldest in South India.

This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘https://www.osmania.ac.in/index.php’

8. IIT Madras

This institution has been ranking on the top for third time. The NIRF ranking for 2021 for IIT Madras is no1 and it strongly believes that talent and good ideas can come from anywhere and has a remarkably diverse community, drawing students from across all Indian states and from various countries.

Intensely curious and driven to explore, the student community of IIT Madras value rigorous analytical thinking, ingenuity, hands-on problem solving, and big new ideas.

The departments and centres of the Institute are responsible for the academic activities which include Teaching, Research and Industrial Consultancy.

The courses of study are organized as semester programs and each semester provides for a minimum of seventy instructional days. The medium of instruction is English.

Students are evaluated on a continuous basis throughout the semester. Evaluation is done by the faculty, a consequence of the autonomous status granted to the Institute.

This is one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘https://www.iitm.ac.in/’

9. Vellore Institute of Technology

This institution is said to be one of the jewels in the crown of higher education of this country. Students from all corners of India come to his organization to learn various courses.

The fame of this institution has crossed the boundaries of India long ago. The institution is a known name in the field of engineering education, however, it is also well-known for offering courses related to various other streams.

The institution is also known for encouraging deserving students with scholarships and other forms of support. VIT was established with the aim of providing quality higher education on par with international standards.

It persistently seeks and adopts innovative methods to improve the quality of higher education on a consistent basis. The NIRF ranking for this institution for 2021 is no.12.

This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘Link‘

10. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

This is one of the high ranking institutions active in higher education arena of our country. The achievements of the organisation have glorified itself and this nation also.

Though the organisation is a known name in the field of engineering education, the institution offers courses in dentistry, medicine, nursing pharmacy and others.

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The unit that offers engineering courses is Amrita School of Engineering. It was started in 1994 in Coimbatore. In 2002, two additional Schools of Engineering were established in Amritapuri and Bengaluru.

All three Schools offer B.Tech., M.Tech. and Ph.D. programs in a large number of disciplines. Outstanding students aspiring for careers in engineering, from across the country and abroad are enrolled in the three Schools.

The institution also offers courses related to allied health sciences, biosciences, agriculture and others.

This is also one of the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘https://www.amrita.edu/’

11. Anna University

Anna University was established on 4 September, 1978 as a unitary type of University. This University was named after Late Dr. C.N. Annadurai, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. It offers higher education in Engineering, Technology, Architecture and Applied Sciences relevant to the current and projected needs of the society.

Besides promoting research and disseminating knowledge gained therefrom, it fosters cooperation between the academic and industrial communities.

The university was formed by bringing together four well-known institutions namely College of Engineering (CEG), Alagappa College of Technology (ACT), Madras Institute of Technology and School of Architecture & Planning.

The objective of the university is to constantly raise the quality of engineering education thereby to produce superior human resource to match rapid technological developments.

This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘https://www.annauniv.edu/index.php’

12. SRM Institute of Science and Technology

SRMIST is one of the top ranking universities in India with over 52,000 full time students and more than 3200 faculty across all the campuses at Kattankulathur, Ramapuram, Vadapalani in Tamil Nadu and Modinagar, NCR, Delhi, Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh).

This educational institution is a known name for engineering education. Its reputation spread far and wide that students from all parts of the country come here to study engineering.

This educational institution has not only good teaching facility but also excellent research facilites also for those who are keen on research on the engineering domain.

All these factors have made this educational institution earn a place among the top 20 universities in India. The website of the educational institution is ‘https://www.srmist.edu.in/’

13. University of Madras

The university imparts both under graduate and post graduate courses through the affiliated institutions which are spread over the districts of Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram.

Apart from teaching, research activities in Arts, Humanities, Science, Management and Technology shape the academic tenor of the University.

A number of institutions affiliated to Madras University concentrate on research activities offering Ph.D., Programmes in their respective field of specialisation.

The institution is home to various courses across all streams. The vision to educate large number of people has made the institution move towards distance education.

Assessing the need for educating a large number of people in the country, the University offers both Under Graduate and Post Graduate programmes through the Institute of Distance Education.

The Institute is popularly called IDE of Madras University. This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘https://www.unom.ac.in/’

14. IIT Bombay

Established in 1958, the second of its kind, IIT Bombay was the first to be set up with foreign assistance. The funds from UNESCO came as Roubles from the then Soviet Union.

In 1961 Parliament decreed the IITs as ‘Institutes of National Importance’. Since then, IIT Bombay has grown from strength to strength to emerge as one of the top technical universities in the world.

The institute is recognised worldwide as a leader in the field of engineering education and research. Reputed for the outstanding caliber of students graduating from its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, the institute attracts the best students from the country for its bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes.

Research and academic programmes at IIT Bombay are driven by an outstanding faculty, many of whom are reputed for their research contributions internationally.

This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. NIRF 2021 rating gave IIT Bombay no.3 rank. The website to know more is ‘https://www.iitb.ac.in/en’

15. AIIMS New Delhi

The institution is popularly known as All India Institute of Medical Sciences and is considered a hub for medical education and quality medical service.

This institute has occupied prime position among the top 20 medical colleges in India under NEET.

Students across the country aspire to become a part of this institution to study medicine.

All-India Institute of Medical Sciences was established in 1956 as an institution of national importance by an Act of Parliament with the objects to develop patterns of teaching in Undergraduate and Post-graduate medical education in all its branches so as to demonstrate a high standard of medical education in India.

The institution to bring together in one place educational facilities of the highest order for the training of personnel in all important branches of health activity and to attain self-sufficiency in post-graduate medical education.

More information about this educational institution is available at ‘https://www.aiims.edu/en.html’

16. IIT Jodhpur
IIT Jodhpur was established in 2008, to foster technology education and research in India. The institute is committed to technological thought and action to benefit the economic development of India.

Scholarship in teaching and learning; Scholarship in research and creative accomplishments and relevance to industry are three driving forces for us at IIT Jodhpur.

The institution functions from its sprawling residential Permanent Campus of 852 acres on National Highway 65, North-Northwest of Jodhpur towards Nagaur.

This campus is meticulously planned and envisioned to stand as a symbol of academics. A large parcel of the Permanent Campus (of about 182 acres) is set aside for the development of a Technology Park to strengthen institute-industry interactions.

The institute is committed to a multidisciplinary approach of technology development. Hence, it has established state-of-the-art laboratories for basic research and has organized its academic degree activities through Departments and its coordinated research through Centers for Technologies.

This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘https://iitj.ac.in/’

17. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) had its genesis from establishment of an Agricultural School at Saidapet in Chennai in Tamil Nadu, as early as 1868 and it was later relocated at Coimbatore.

Chennai was then known as Madras. In 1920 it was affiliated to Madras University. The organisation is also popularly known as TNAU and has assumed full responsibilities of agricultural education and research and supported the State Agricultural Department by delivering research products.

Till 1946, the Agricultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore, was the only Institute for Agricultural Education for the whole of South India.

In 1958, it was recognized as a Post-graduate Centre leading to Masters and Doctoral degrees. The Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai was established in 1965.
These two colleges formed the nucleus of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University while it was established in 1971.

The global technological developments has lead to introduction of new courses. Introduction of B.Tech.(Food Process Engineering) from the academic year 1998-99, BTech (Agricultural Biotechnology) and B.Tech (Horticulture) from the academic year 2002-2003 as self supporting program has created avenues for bugetary independence.

A new degree program B.Tech.(Energy and Environmental Engineering) was started during 2004 and B.Tech. (Bioinformatics) during 2006. BTech (Agricultural Information Technology) and B.S. (Agribusiness Management) were started in 2007.

This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘https://tnau.ac.in/’

18. National Law School of India University

NLSIU was the first National Law University established in India in 1986.

The premier law school was set up with a mission to pioneer legal education reforms, and to anchor the transformation of the Indian legal system through research and policy interventions.

Consequently, NLSIU was one of the first institutions in the country to introduce the five-year integrated law degree at the undergraduate level with the commencement of the first batch in 1988.

And for over 30 years now, the University has irrefutably remained a leader in the field of legal education in the country.

This long-standing record has been possible due to the strong collaborations between legal academics, the Bar, the Bench and the State Government of Karnataka.

NLSIU was established under the National Law School of India Act (Karnataka Act 22 of 1986), which was notified in the official Gazette August 29, 1987.

This Act conferred complete administrative and academic autonomy to the University which is housed in the Bengaluru University campus.

It is the basic governing document for the University & all persons associated with it.

NLSIU has consistently strived to push for a paradigm shift in the field of legal education.

This is one among the top 20 universities in India The website to know more is ‘https://www.nls.ac.in/’

19. Amity University Gwalior

Amity University of Gwalior was established by Ritnand Balved Education Foundation (RBEF) of New Delhi.

It was established with the view to promote professional, industry-oriented education in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Amity University (Gwalior) located on 100 acres of land opposite Gwalior Airport offers modern, practical and research-based courses which will lead to the development of manpower that is industry ready. This in turn will drive the socio-economic upliftment of the region.

Amity provides industry oriented professional courses and is at the cutting edge of innovation. Even the placement records here also are more than satisfactory.

With a great atmosphere on its campus, this also is one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more about the institution is ‘https://www.amity.edu/gwalior/’

20. Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology

The institute is one of those that aspires to generate skilled technical personnel who can contribute siginificantly in the area of their work.

The students of this institution which is also known as MANIT have proved their mettle in various sectors. The campus is present on a land spread over 650 acres. The atmosphere to undertake studies is excellent.

It has praiseworthy infrastructure and amenities for students are world class. The institution campus consists of administrative and academic building, workshop, Library and community center.

It also has residential area accommodation for students and staff and other general amenities such as post office, shopping complex, a school for children, dispensary, an auditorium with the capacity of 1000 persons and sports complex with vast expand of open area.

This is also one among the institutions that offers architecture course at undergraduate level. The other popular courses available at the institution are Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and others.

Postgraduate courses in the above mentioned disciplines are also available with various specialisations. This is also one among the top 20 universities in India. The website to know more is ‘http://www.manit.ac.in/’

Conclusion (Top 20 universities in India)

The list of top 20 universities in India has been provided above. However, students have to remember that gaining an admission in any of them may not be an easy task. For example, IIT Delhi which is one among the top 20 universities in India has a tough system for admitting students. Students willing to study engineering in IIT Delhi have to pass JEE Mains and get a rank among the top 2.5 lakh ranks in the country.

Post passing JEE Mains, students have to apply for JEE Advanced and pass it with required score (cutoff) to gain admission. Similarly, getting an admission in AIIMS New Delhi which is also one among the top 20 universities in India requires passing NEET exam with the required score. Qualifying for an admission in some of the top 20 universities in India may require to pass tough entrance exams like JEE Mains, JEE Advanced or NEET.

Some of these top 20 universities in India may have their own entrance test to admit students or any other alternative way of admitting students. The procedure to admit students into various courses could vary from one institute to another, however, students willing to take admission into these top 20 universities in India must be ready to handle the admission process.

It may not be easy to gain an entry into these top 20 universities in India, but students never stay away from making an attempt to gain entry into these top 20 universities in India as a study in these highly admired institutions would brighten the career prospects. What makes these top 20 universities in India highly admired are the high standards they follow when it comes to teaching and learning.

S. Vishnu Sharma

S Vishnu Sharmaa now works with collegechalo.com in the news team. His work involves writing articles related to the education... (Full bio)