The latest National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) ranking places IIT Madras first, followed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI). The SDG category was introduced in NIRF 2025, raising the number of ranking categories from 16 to 17. It assesses energy efficiency, water management, waste disposal, SDG-related research, community outreach and social inclusion, covering institutions' contribution to all 17 SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda.