Which is the top Overall college in Kerala as per NIRF 2020?
Kerala University is the top Kerala entry, ranked #42 with a score of 50.71.
5 Kerala institutions appear in the NIRF 2020 Overall list, with national ranks, scores and cities. Use the list to explore college profiles and compare options.
Kerala University leads the Kerala entries in 2020 at national rank 42 with a score of 50.71.
Kerala colleges featured across NIRF Overall editions
These institutions appeared in the available Kerala lists from 2017 to 2020. Ownership uses our current classification; each entry shows its latest listed year and national rank.
Top Government Overall colleges in Kerala
- Kerala University 2020 · National rank 42 · Listed this year
- Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam 2020 · National rank 49 · Listed this year
- Calicut University, Thenhipalem, Malapuram 2020 · National rank 76 · Listed this year
- Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Thiruvananthapuram 2020 · National rank 80 · Listed this year
- Cochin University of Science and Technology 2020 · National rank 89 · Listed this year
- Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology 2017 · National rank 56 · Historical entry
- Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode 2017 · National rank 85 · Historical entry
Ownership not confirmed
- Calicut University 2017 · National rank 93 · Historical entry
This page covers published NIRF entries, not every good institution in Kerala offering programmes in this category. An institution's absence does not mean it is a poor choice. Ranks are national Overall ranks, not positions within Kerala.
Kerala Overall ranking history
Explore Kerala institutions in the published NIRF Overall lists by year. Every rank below is a national category rank, not a position within Kerala. A lower rank number is better.
Comparisons use the preceding available Overall edition and the state recorded in each year's list. Newly listed means absent from the previous Kerala list, not necessarily a first NIRF appearance. Absence does not establish why an institution is missing, and movement alone does not explain changes in quality.
Highlights and changes in 2020
5 Kerala institutions appear in the 2020 published Overall list. Kerala University is the highest-ranked Kerala entry at national rank 42 with a score of 50.71.
View full Kerala 2020 ranking with scores and college profiles
Major changes from 2019 to 2020
Calicut University, Thenhipalem, Malapuram recorded the largest rise, moving from national rank 90 to 76, an improvement of 14 places. Kerala University recorded the largest fall, moving from national rank 35 to 42. The table shows up to three biggest rises and three biggest falls. Equal movements are ordered by current rank.
Biggest Kerala ranking changes from 2019
3| 2020 rank | Institution | 2019 rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | Calicut University, Thenhipalem, Malapuram | 90 | ↑ 14 places |
| 89 | Cochin University of Science and Technology | 94 | ↑ 5 places |
| 42 | Kerala University | 35 | ↓ 7 places |
Changes to the published list — 1 newly listed and 0 no longer listed
Newly present Kerala institutions in 2020
1| 2020 rank | Institution | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Thiruvananthapuram | 44.53 | Newly present |
Kerala institutions not present in 2020
0Every Kerala entry in the earlier list remains present.
Kerala NIRF Overall rankings 2019
4 Kerala institutions appear in the 2019 published Overall list. Kerala University is the highest-ranked Kerala entry at national rank 35 with a score of 51.21.
Kerala institutions in NIRF Overall 2019
4| 2019 rank | Institution | 2018 rank | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Kerala University | 47 | 51.21 |
| 49 | Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam | 52 | 48.08 |
| 90 | Calicut University, Thenhipalem, Malapuram | — | 42.22 |
| 94 | Cochin University of Science and Technology | 99 | 41.42 |
Major changes from 2018 to 2019
Kerala University recorded the largest rise, moving from national rank 47 to 35, an improvement of 12 places. The table shows up to three biggest rises and three biggest falls. Equal movements are ordered by current rank.
Biggest Kerala ranking changes from 2018
3| 2019 rank | Institution | 2018 rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Kerala University | 47 | ↑ 12 places |
| 94 | Cochin University of Science and Technology | 99 | ↑ 5 places |
| 49 | Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam | 52 | ↑ 3 places |
Changes to the published list — 1 newly listed and 1 no longer listed
Newly present Kerala institutions in 2019
1| 2019 rank | Institution | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | Calicut University, Thenhipalem, Malapuram | 42.22 | Newly present |
Kerala institutions not present in 2019
1| 2018 rank | Institution | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 58 | Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Thiruvananthapuram | Not present in 2019 |
Kerala NIRF Overall rankings 2018
4 Kerala institutions appear in the 2018 published Overall list. Kerala University is the highest-ranked Kerala entry at national rank 47 with a score of 47.72.
Kerala institutions in NIRF Overall 2018
4| 2018 rank | Institution | 2017 rank | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | Kerala University | 47 | 47.72 |
| 52 | Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam | — | 46.56 |
| 58 | Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Thiruvananthapuram | — | 45.97 |
| 99 | Cochin University of Science and Technology | — | 40.53 |
Major changes from 2017 to 2018
No rank movements were found among institutions present in both Kerala lists.
Biggest Kerala ranking changes from 2017
0No comparable rank movements in this edition.
Changes to the published list — 3 newly listed and 3 no longer listed
Newly present Kerala institutions in 2018
3| 2018 rank | Institution | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam | 46.56 | Newly present |
| 58 | Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Thiruvananthapuram | 45.97 | Newly present |
| 99 | Cochin University of Science and Technology | 40.53 | Newly present |
Kerala institutions not present in 2018
3| 2017 rank | Institution | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 56 | Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology | Not present in 2018 |
| 85 | Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode | Not present in 2018 |
| 93 | Calicut University | Not present in 2018 |
Kerala NIRF Overall rankings 2017
4 Kerala institutions appear in the 2017 published Overall list. Kerala University is the highest-ranked Kerala entry at national rank 47 with a score of 43.95.
Kerala institutions in NIRF Overall 2017
4| 2017 rank | Institution | Previous rank | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | Kerala University | — | 43.95 |
| 56 | Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology | — | 43.06 |
| 85 | Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode | — | 39.20 |
| 93 | Calicut University | — | 38.45 |
This is the earliest available Overall edition; an earlier-year comparison is unavailable.
Kerala Overall ranking list
Avg score 46.59
#InstituteScore
42 Kerala University 50.71 7
NIRF Rank Trend (Overall)
- 2017: rank 47
- 2018: rank 47
- 2019: rank 35
- 2020: rank 42
Lower rank is better.
Highlights
Compare with another college
View college profile
Improved by 5 places from #47 in 2017 to #42 in 2020.
Consistently ranked among India's top overall institutions.
49 Mahatma Gandhi University 49.29 0
NIRF Rank Trend (Overall)
- 2017: not ranked
- 2018: rank 52
- 2019: rank 49
- 2020: rank 49
Lower rank is better.
Highlights
Compare with another college
View college profile
Improved by 3 places from #52 in 2018 to #49 in 2020.
Consistently ranked among India's top overall institutions.
76 Calicut University Malappuram 44.71 14
NIRF Rank Trend (Overall)
- 2017: not ranked
- 2018: not ranked
- 2019: rank 90
- 2020: rank 76
Lower rank is better.
Highlights
Compare with another college
View college profile
Improved by 14 places from #90 in 2019 to #76 in 2020.
Consistently ranked among India's top overall institutions.
80 IISER Thiruvananthapuram 44.53 22
NIRF Rank Trend (Overall)
- 2017: not ranked
- 2018: rank 58
- 2019: not ranked
- 2020: rank 80
Lower rank is better.
Highlights
Compare with another college
View college profile
Moved down 22 places from #58 in 2018 to #80 in 2020.
Consistently ranked among India's top overall institutions.
89 CUSAT Kochi 43.71 5
NIRF Rank Trend (Overall)
- 2017: not ranked
- 2018: rank 99
- 2019: rank 94
- 2020: rank 89
Lower rank is better.
Highlights
Compare with another college
View college profile
Improved by 10 places from #99 in 2018 to #89 in 2020.
Consistently ranked among India's top overall institutions.
Data source: NIRF, Ministry of Education, Government of India. Ownership labels apply only to institutions classified in the NIRFRank database.
Kerala ranking questions
Does this include private colleges?
Yes. Private and government labels appear when the institution is resolved in NIRFRank's curated registry.
How many Kerala colleges are in the NIRF 2020 list?
5 ranked colleges are shown across 4 cities in this state.
What does the rank trend inside each row show?
Open any row to see that college's NIRF Overall rank across the latest available editions.