IIFT moves up one place to 25th in NIRF ranking

It was at 23rd rank in 2018, 30th in 2017 and 81st in 2016.NIRF was launched in 2015 to rank higher educational institutions in the country based on objective criteria to promote competitive excellence in such institutions.Commenting on the development, IIFT Director Manoj Pant said the institute has taken several measures to improve the ranking and that would help in further improving the position next year.I believe that the 25th ranking does not do justice to us....We are now moving from the course and making money to focus more on research and publications.

The commerce ministry's Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) has moved up one place to 25th rank under management category, in NIRF ranking 2021.

The ranking under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) was released by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently.

In the last year's ranking, IIFT had climbed five places to the 26th spot from 31st in 2019. It was at 23rd rank in 2018, 30th in 2017 and 81st in 2016.

NIRF was launched in 2015 to rank higher educational institutions in the country based on objective criteria to promote competitive excellence in such institutions.

Commenting on the development, IIFT Director Manoj Pant said the institute has taken several measures to improve the ranking and that would help in further improving the position next year.

''I believe that the 25th ranking does not do justice to us...We are now moving from the course and making money to focus more on research and publications. I do believe that next year you will see our ranking go up to maybe 16th or 17th because the publication part will show up in the 2020-21 data,'' Pant told PTI.

IIFT Dean Rakesh Mohan Joshi said steps taken by the institute to improve the ranking include increased focus on marketing and social media promotion; planning the admission process well in advance; actively participating in international accreditations; and vibrant international collaborations.

''The institute is in the advanced process of finalizing the MoU with Florida International University to enable transfer and twinning programs that may eventually lead to dual/joint degrees. ''In addition, the institute is also in touch with several leading Business Schools and Universities across the US, Europe, and other parts of the World. This would lead to a significant increase in the visibility of the institute,'' Joshi said. IIFT was set up in 1963 by the government as an autonomous organization to help professionalize the country's foreign trade management and increase exports by developing human resources, analyzing and disseminating data, and conducting research.