The “perception” parameter in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a “black box” that undermines the credibility of India’s most influential education rankings, says Prof V Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani and former IIT Delhi Director.

Despite BITS Pilani breaking into the top 10 of the ‘universities’ category this year—the first time since 2016—Rao argues that NIRF’s evaluation system remains riddled with opacity and subjectivity. “Our perception scores are lower than some private universities that are barely a decade old. Who receives these surveys? Who validates the responses? The sanctity of this process is questionable,” he was quoted as saying in an interview.

Rao, who co-authored a 2024 paper in Current Science highlighting inconsistencies in NIRF, pointed out three systemic flaws: the subjective nature of perception scores, reliance on self-reported institutional data, and inadequate transparency in methodology.

He suggested straightforward reforms—such as publishing all institutional submissions, standardizing data through a single verification portal for NAAC, NIRF, and AICTE, and introducing random audits. “When the government ranks institutions, it is a serious matter. Transparency cannot be optional,” he stressed.

On research metrics, Rao welcomed recent corrections like excluding self-citations and penalizing retracted papers but warned against gaming the system through inflated publication counts. “Integrity measures must be strengthened further,” he said.

Explaining BITS Pilani’s climb in rankings, Rao credited sustained investment in research, with the number of PhD scholars rising from 700 five years ago to over 2,500 today. Stronger placement trends, with median salaries rising 11% annually, also contributed. Still, he cautioned that scaling research further would demand steep financial commitments—nearly ₹25 lakh per PhD scholar over five years.

“India deserves a ranking framework that is robust, transparent, and beyond manipulation. NIRF can lead the way, but only if it opens up its black boxes,” Rao asserted.