Institute witnesses consistent rise in technical university and engineering categories in India Today–MDRA Rankings 2026; ranks among India’s leading emerging and most-improved government engineering institutions
Mandi, Sept 10: The Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi) has registered consistent improvement across the principal categories of the India Today–MDRA Rankings 2026, reflecting the Institute’s continued progress in academic and research excellence, infrastructure, student development, placements and institutional reputation.
In the Technical Universities category, IIT Mandi secured 7th position nationally in 2026, improving from 8th position in 2025. The Institute obtained an overall score of 1616.1 out of 2000 in this category.
Furthermore, there has been an improvement in the national ranking of the institute in engineering, with the 11th rank for engineering colleges in India compared to 13th rank in 2025. In the category of government engineering colleges, IIT Mandi secured 10th rank nationally, having improved from 12th rank the previous year. The engineering score of IIT Mandi has been recorded at 1692.6 on a scale of 2000, including an objective score of 967.4 and perceptual score of 725.2.
Among Emerging Government Engineering Colleges, IIT Mandi secured an impressive 3rd position nationally, behind only IIT Gandhinagar and IIT Patna. The ranking recognises the performance of comparatively newer institutions that have established a strong national presence within a relatively short period.
The Institute was also ranked 6th nationally among the Most Improved Government Engineering Colleges. India Today determines this category based on the percentage improvement in an institution’s ranking over the five-year period from 2022 to 2026. This recognition therefore highlights not only IIT Mandi’s performance during the current year but also its sustained upward trajectory.
Commenting on the achievement, Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi, said “The consistent improvement of IIT Mandi across the India Today–MDRA rankings reflects the collective commitment of our faculty, students, staff, alumni and institutional partners. Our progress has been guided by a sustained emphasis on academic excellence, high-impact research, innovation, entrepreneurship and the holistic development of our students. The recognition among India’s leading emerging and most-improved government engineering institutions is particularly encouraging. We shall continue striving to build an institution that combines global academic standards with meaningful contributions to society and the nation.”
The 2026 results mark a broad-based improvement for IIT Mandi:
● Technical Universities: Rank 7 in 2026, up from Rank 8 in 2025
● Engineering Colleges—Overall: Rank 11 in 2026, up from Rank 13 in 2025
● Government Engineering Colleges: Rank 10 in 2026, up from Rank 12 in 2025
● Emerging Government Engineering Colleges: Rank 3 nationally
● Most Improved Government Engineering Colleges: Rank 6 nationally
The India Today–MDRA rankings assess institutions using objective and perceptual indicators encompassing academic and research excellence, intake quality and governance, infrastructure and living experience, personality and leadership development, career progression, placements and institutional reputation.
The ranking once again demonstrates IIT Mandi’s ongoing commitment toward enhancing its academic and research ecosystem and providing avenues for innovation, entrepreneurship, and holistic development of students. The Institute shall conduct an evaluation of its performance for 2026 year across all parameters to discover other areas where improvements can be made to maintain its status as one of India’s premier institutions technology-led solutions addressing regional, national and global challenges.
Official ranking sources:
● Technical Universities 2026
● Engineering Colleges—Overall 2026
● Government Engineering Colleges 2026
● Emerging Government Engineering Colleges 2026
● Most Improved Colleges 2026