Which is the top Research college in Chennai as per NIRF 2021?
IIT Madras leads the city list at rank #2.
NIRF 2021 · City ranking
3 Chennai institutions appear in the NIRF 2021 Research list, with national ranks, scores and cities. Use the list to explore college profiles and compare options.
IIT Madras leads the Chennai entries in 2021 at national rank 2 with a score of 86.01.
Chennai colleges featured across NIRF Research editions
These institutions appeared in the available Chennai lists from 2021 to 2021. Ownership uses our current classification; each entry shows its latest listed year and national rank.
Top Government Research colleges in Chennai
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras 2021 · National rank 2 · Listed this year
- Anna University 2021 · National rank 32 · Listed this year
Top Private Research colleges in Chennai
- SRM Institute of Science and Technology 2021 · National rank 46 · Listed this year
This page covers published NIRF entries, not every good institution in Chennai offering programmes in this category. An institution's absence does not mean it is a poor choice. Ranks are national Research ranks, not positions within Chennai.
Chennai Research ranking history
Explore Chennai institutions in the published NIRF Research lists by year. Every rank below is a national category rank, not a position within Chennai. A lower rank number is better.
Comparisons use the preceding available Research edition and the state and city recorded in each year's list. Newly listed means absent from the previous Chennai 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 2021
3 Chennai institutions appear in the 2021 published Research list. Indian Institute of Technology Madras is the highest-ranked Chennai entry at national rank 2 with a score of 86.01.
View full Chennai 2021 ranking with scores and college profiles
This is the earliest available Research edition; an earlier-year comparison is unavailable.
Chennai Research ranking list
Tamil Nadu#InstituteScore
2 IIT Madras 86.01 NEW
NIRF Rank Trend (Research)
- 2021: rank 2
Lower rank is better.
Highlights
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Ranked #2 in both 2021 and 2021.
Consistently ranked among India's top research institutions.
32 Anna University 47.87 NEW
NIRF Rank Trend (Research)
- 2021: rank 32
Lower rank is better.
Highlights
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View college profile
Ranked #32 in both 2021 and 2021.
Consistently ranked among India's top research institutions.
46 SRMIST Chennai 40.16 NEW
NIRF Rank Trend (Research)
- 2021: rank 46
Lower rank is better.
Highlights
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View college profile
Ranked #46 in both 2021 and 2021.
Consistently ranked among India's top research institutions.
Data source: NIRF, Ministry of Education, Government of India. This page filters the official 2021 ranking by published city and state.
Chennai ranking questions
How many ranked colleges are shown for Chennai?
3 colleges from Chennai appear in the official 2021 list.
Can I compare these colleges?
Yes. Open any expanded row and use the comparison action to review ranks, scores and historical performance.
How is the city filter created?
The page uses the city published for each institution in the selected NIRF ranking edition.