NAAC Ranking: Meaning, Eligibility Criteria, Top Colleges & More

NAAC A++ university in India: While education is something that cannot be taken away from you, attending the wrong college can certainly cause you to struggle for sleep. Not every student is aware of the importance of NAAC A++ colleges in India and the many advantages they offer. One useful tool that can help raise the standard of education in India is the NAAC ranking. It informs parents and students, encourages competition amongst institutions, raises funds, enhances internationalisation, and impacts educational standards.

A government organisation that evaluates and accredits educational institutions in India is called the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). The highest grade available under the grading system is NAAC A++, with C being the lowest. These universities are renowned for their top-notch facilities, research, and instruction. A NAAC A++ university in India means accredited colleges provide a large selection of undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate programmes. The educational institution's entire performance — which includes its methods for instruction, learning, and assessment — is also evaluated by the NAAC. A NAAC ranking list of colleges is an outstanding choice for applicants seeking a top-notch education. Both the academic programmes and teachers at these colleges are of high calibre. This article discusses everything related to NAAC A++ university in India.

Also Read: DU NIRF Ranked Colleges 2024

NAAC Ranking 2024

In January 2024, NAAC announced that maturity-based graded levels would be implemented by December 2024. The UGC is also expected to launch an NAAC accreditation rating system by the end of this year. The NAAC ranking list criteria include:

• Curricular aspects

• Teaching, learning, and evaluation

• Research, innovation, and extensions

• Infrastructure and learning resources

• Student support and progression

• Governance, leadership, and management

• Institutional values and best practices 

Top 10 NAAC A++ University in India Ranking 2023

Given below is the top 10 NAAC ranking list in 2023:

What is the Full Form of NAAC?

As discussed, the NAAC's full form is the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. It analyses Institutions for their compliance with quality criteria regarding educational processes and outcomes. It also considers the institute's curriculum coverage, organisation, governance, teaching-learning processes, faculty, research, infrastructure, learning resources, student services, etc. to include them under a list of the NAAC A++ university in India.

Why NAAC Ranking is Required?

The NAAC ranking list for colleges for 2024 and the NAAC A++ accreditation are essential elements of Indian higher education institutions. Only universities with NAAC accreditation are qualified to receive UGC grants and all higher education institutions in India. To determine the institution's "Quality Status," the Council inspects and accredits higher education institutions (HEI) and other recognised institutions. NAAC A++ university in India along with 'A+' and 'A' grades are the most sought-after institutes, as they offer high-quality education. All the recognised institutes of UGC must apply for NBA/ NAAC/ any other accreditation after the completion of the first or second batch of courses.

Goal and Vision for NAAC Ranking List

The main goal or vision of NAAC is to enhance performance through quality assessment, promotion, and various programs, which is crucial in higher education. To achieve this vision, NAAC has broken down its goal into several key roles based on which it ranks a college/institution as NAAC A++ university in India:

• Conducting regular evaluations and accrediting Higher Education institutions.

• Developing innovative academic programs and initiatives to enhance educational quality.

• Promoting self-assessment, transparency, creativity, and autonomy in higher education.

• Conducting research studies, providing consulting services, and offering training programs to improve educational quality.

• Collaborating with other stakeholders in higher education to establish evaluation criteria and provide encouragement.

Benefits of NAAC Ranking for Students

In simple terms, NAAC accreditation or NAAC ranking list of a higher learning institute will help the student to figure out all the details about the institute such as quality of education, research output, teaching-learning, infrastructure etc. The list of NAAC A++ colleges in India helps students choose the best institute based on its grade/ performance in the accreditation process. It also determines the value of degrees offered by higher learning institutes. Therefore, students are advised to score high in the class 12 exams to become eligible for admission to NAAC A++ university in India.

Benefits of NAAC Ranking for Institutions

Here are some of the major benefits of NAAC accreditation and the NAAC ranking list:

• The accreditation and ranking help the higher learning institutes to know their strengths, opportunities, and weaknesses through an informed review process.

• It identifies the internal areas of planning and allocation of resources.

• The accreditation will help funding agencies with objective data so that they can decide on the funding of higher learning institutes.

• NAAC ranking will help educational institutes initiate modern or innovative methods of pedagogy.

In all, NAAC ranking list is one of the major accreditation agencies in India, which is mandatory for all higher learning institutes. 

NAAC Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the NAAC's Assessment and Accreditation (A&A) process, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to fulfil certain requirements. These establishments must have been in operation for no less than six years, or they must have a proven history of graduating at least two classes of graduates. To be eligible for the NAAC assessment and accreditation procedure, HEIs must also meet extra specifications or fall under the applicable criteria listed below.

Central/ State/ Private/ Deemed-to-be Universities & Institutions of National Importance

• MHRD/UGC clearance is required for universities and deemed-to-be universities, as well as their off-campus locations, to be eligible for NAAC accreditation. Without authorisation, off-campus schools cannot be considered for NAAC Accreditation and Assessment (A&A).

• Requirements for inclusion in the NAAC ranking list include having regular students constantly engaged in full-time research and teaching activities offered on campus. All legally recognised NAAC A++ colleges in India will be included in the A&A process as colleges or institutes of national significance.

• It is critical to remember that NAAC standards emphasise on-shore learning facilities and will not conduct accreditation or NAAC A++ university in India for campuses located offshore.

Autonomous/ Constituent/ Affiliated Colleges Recognised by UGC

• Educational institutions must be associated with a university that has been acknowledged by the UGC for affiliation purposes to be eligible for NAAC ranking list or accreditation. The constituent campuses of private and deemed-to-be universities are regarded as essential components and are not subject to independent accreditation and assessment (A&A) processes. Under such circumstances, the university and these constituent colleges need to be evaluated collaboratively.

• Courses recognised by Statutory Professional Regulatory Councils are required to be offered by universities and other non-university-related organisations. Furthermore, these courses ought to be accepted as equal to college-level courses by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) or other pertinent governmental organisations.

Accredited HEIs Applying for Reassessment or Subsequent Cycles (Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4) of Accreditation

• After a minimum of 12 months and before three years of NAAC accreditation, universities may apply to be included in the NAAC ranking list, provided they meet additional requirements, to be eligible for reevaluation and an upgrade in their accredited status for NAAC A++ university in India.

• If a college complies with the requirements set forth by NAAC, it may submit an Institutional Information for Quality Assessment (IIQA) during the final six months of the accreditation cycle (Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4).

Note: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) offshore campuses and remote learning divisions are not accredited by the NAAC. Universities must apply for assessment and accreditation by uploading data to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) portal. Registration requires the AISHE code, often known as the reference number.

NAAC Key Indicators & Weightage

NAAC has established seven criteria to form the foundation of its evaluation processes. The Higher Educational Institutions are divided into three main types: University, Autonomous College, and Affiliated/Constituent College. NAAC has assigned varying weights to these criteria across different key aspects, taking into account the operational and organisational emphasis of each type of HEI. The criterion-wise differential weights for the three types of HEIs are:

Key Indicators: Each criterion includes specific key indicators to assess performance. These Key Indicators referred to as KIs, are then broken down into Metrics, which are tools designed to gather responses from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

NAAC Accreditation Application Procedure

The authorities typically design the NAAC Assessment and Accreditation procedure formally. The steps to apply for NAAC ranking or accreditation are as follows.

• Step 1: After uploading the Self-study Report (SSR) to the institution's website, Higher Education Colleges, Institutions, or Universities should submit their Letter of Intent (LOI) online.

• Step 2: The processing of a letter of intent takes almost fifteen days. Within ten days of the LOI submission, the institution must pay the registration fee only for the on-demand draft to reach NAAC.

• Step 3: The college has one week from the date it accepts the LOI to submit its online Institutional Eligibility for Quality Assessment (IEQA) report.

• Step 4: The college has two weeks to turn in the Self-Study Report (SSR) following acceptance of the LOI and IEQA.

• Step 5: The college will be visited by the NAAC team within three weeks of the SSR report being turned in. The NAAC will select the date of the visit.

• Step 6: The visit is usually finished in a month.

Total Number of Accreditations (Status as of 21/08/2023)

NAAC Units of Assessment

The NAAC ranking tool was created to evaluate and grade higher education institutions to produce the most impartial results. The emphasis varies depending on the unit of accreditation, such as Affiliated / Constituent Colleges / Autonomous Colleges / Universities / Health Science, etc., even though the technique and fundamental structure of the institution are similar. The following table highlights institutional/ departmental accreditation to NAAC A++ university in India:

NAAC Grading System 

Higher education institutions in India are categorised into four groups, such as "A", "B", "C", and "D" based on each important factor or criterion. College performance is indicated by the NAAC ranking, which ranges from very good to good to satisfactory to unsatisfactory. Weighting is used to generate the total score of NAAC grades for all the important factors under a certain criterion, and the GPA is determined by the NAAC college ranking criterion.

The seven GPAs that correspond to the seven criteria are combined to create the Cumulative GPA (CGPA), which produces the final Assessment Outcome after each criterion has been given the appropriate weight.

Advantages of CGPA in NAAC Ranking

• Converting letter grades to numerical rating points (overall score in Cumulative Grade Point Average)

• Grade points were assigned to qualitative measurements.

• Greater scope for normalizing scores

• Extreme biases (if present) could be reduced.

• The relative evaluation would be more precise because of the reduction in variances and standard deviations.

• Inter-Peer Team variances are significantly decreased.

• With little room for change at any step, the judgement would be more reliable.

The CGPA provides the assessment's final result, which is then calculated from the seven GPAs of the key parameters mentioned above. More information is provided further down.

Cycles of NAAC Accreditation

Universities or institutions aiming to enhance their accredited status can opt for re-assessment, a voluntary process available after at least one but not exceeding three years from the initial accreditation. The re-assessment procedure mirrors the initial Assessment and Accreditation, with institutions providing specific responses based on the peer team recommendations from the first assessment and any quality improvements implemented. The fee structure for re-assessment aligns with that of the initial assessment.

The accreditation process is categorised as Cycle 1 for the initial accreditation and subsequent five-year periods as Cycles 2, 3, and so forth.

• For Cycle 1, refer to the Accreditation Process.

• For Cycles 2, 3, etc., the following are crucial:

  • IQAC must be operational.

  • Annual timely submission of AQARs.

  • Institutions should submit IIQA during the last 6 months of the validity period, subject to meeting conditions specified by NAAC for the purpose.

  • Other procedural steps remain consistent with the first cycle.

NAAC Accreditation Re-Assessment

If an educational institution is unhappy with its accrediting status, it can request a reevaluation within a year, but not after the three-year time has passed. The same application procedure that applies to evaluation and accreditation also applies to reassessment. The accreditation and assessment procedure is referred to as a cycle. For instance, the first cycle would be the evaluation of the university; the next five years would be Cycles 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Higher education institutions with NAAC accreditation that wish to improve their accreditation status can request a reevaluation to receive better rankings and grades to be among the NAAC A++ colleges in India. Nevertheless, the institutions may submit a reaccreditation application as soon as possible — at most, a year later.

Top NAAC A++ University in India in India

Here is the list of some of the top NAAC 'A++', 'A+', 'A' and 'B' grade Universities in India. For an exhaustive list of NAAC A++ university in India, students must check the official website of NAAC.

Also Read:What is a Deemed University?

Best NAAC A++ University in India with CGPA

Here is a list of some other best NAAC A++ colleges in India along with their latest CGPA:

Top 10 NAAC A+ Accredited Colleges

Top 10 NAAC A Accredited Colleges

Top-performing colleges are those that hold A accreditation, signifying exceptional quality and achievement. These institutions have a CGPA ranging from 3.01 to 3.25. Below, you will find a list of colleges with this prestigious NAAC A accreditation:

Top 10 NAAC B++ Accredited Colleges

NAAC B++ accredited colleges are those that perform well with moderate grades. These colleges typically have a CGPA ranging from 2.76 to 3.00. Here's a list of colleges with NAAC B++ accreditation:

Top 10 NAAC B+ Accredited Colleges

NAAC B+ accredited colleges are considered to be decent performers with average grades. These colleges typically maintain a CGPA ranging from 2.51 to 2.75. Below is a list of colleges holding B+ accreditation:

Through this article, we have explained the importance of NAAC A++ university in India, NAAC full form, accreditation, NAAC ranking/ grades, and other important information. Candidates must check all these parameters before opting for or choosing a college. Although numerous higher education institutions having excellent academic standing exist in India, the one on the NAAC ranking list has an extraordinary status with UGC recognition.

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