Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) has dropped sharply in the 2025 NIRF rankings, from 37th to 91st overall and from 23rd to 56th among universities.
The decline is linked to retirement of senior professors, fewer faculty members, and a higher student–faculty ratio, which also affected research output.
Private and deemed universities in Pune like Symbiosis International (40th), IISER Pune (55th), and Dr. D.Y. Patil University (71st) have outperformed SPPU.
Pune, 5th September 2025: Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), once celebrated as the "Oxford of the East," has registered a major decline in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025. The university, which stood at 37th position overall last year, has slipped to 91st place this year. In the list of India’s top 100 universities, it has also fallen from 23rd to 56th place.
The central education ministry released the NIRF rankings on Thursday, covering categories such as overall institutions, universities, engineering, management, law, medicine, research, and state public universities.
Pune’s other institutions, however, fared better. Symbiosis International University ranked 40th overall, while the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, secured the 55th position, and Dr. D.Y. Patil University stood at 71st.
SPPU’s decline is not new. The university had been ranked 19th overall in 2020, gradually slipping every year since. In the state public universities category, it was 3rd in 2024 but has now dropped to 11th place.
University officials admitted that the fall is largely due to a shortage of faculty members. Over the past two years, many senior professors retired, reducing both the faculty-student ratio and research publications. Meanwhile, new academic programs introduced under the National Education Policy increased student enrollment, further straining resources.
Vice-Chancellor Dr. Suresh Gosavi said the administration is aware of the issue and working to improve performance. Faculty recruitment is underway, he added, which is expected to boost both the student–teacher ratio and research output in the coming years.
Despite the setback, Pune continues to remain an important hub of higher education, with several institutions in the city and Mumbai featuring in the country’s top 100 list.
