ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute

How is ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute ranked in 2026?

ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal is ranked #2 in India in the NIRF Agriculture and Allied Sectors category, the latest position confirmed in the NIRF India Rankings 2025 (released September 2025), where it scored 75.87. This is the most current ranking an aspirant should use heading into the 2026 admission cycle, as the NIRF 2026 list had not been released at the time of writing. NDRI sits second only to ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, and ahead of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, making it the single highest-ranked dairy-focused institution in the country. As a Deemed-to-be-University (established 1923) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, NDRI's standing in the agriculture domain is consistent rather than fluctuating, which is itself a strong signal of stability for prospective B.Tech (Dairy Technology), M.Sc, M.V.Sc and Ph.D applicants.

The headline takeaway for 2026: NDRI Karnal is a top-2 agricultural institute nationally and the de facto number one for dairy science and technology education in India.

Year-Wise Rankings

The table below sets out ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute's verified NIRF Agriculture and Allied Sectors rankings across the three editions in which the category has existed (2023, 2024 and 2025). It answers the core question - has NDRI's rank moved? - by placing the rank and, where the score has been published, the score side by side for each year. Read it top to bottom to see the trend; the "Rank" column is the position out of all agriculture institutes nationally, and the "Score" column is NDRI's composite NIRF score out of 100. The NIRF Agriculture category was introduced only in 2023, which is why no earlier rows exist.

The clear takeaway is consistency: NDRI Karnal has held Rank #2 in every NIRF Agriculture ranking since the category began in 2023. For an applicant, an unbroken three-year run at second place signals a stable, mature institution whose research output, faculty strength and outreach are reliably recognised, not a one-off spike. The 75.87 score for 2025 is the only officially highlighted score figure across these editions, so it is the number to quote when comparing NDRI against peers.

Ranking Trajectory of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute

ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute's ranking trajectory is best described as flat-and-elite: it debuted at Rank #2 in the inaugural NIRF Agriculture and Allied Sectors ranking of 2023, retained #2 in 2024, and again held #2 in 2025 with a score of 75.87. In a ranking framework where many institutions rise and fall year to year, NDRI's refusal to move from the runner-up spot behind IARI New Delhi is a deliberate strength indicator. The institute has consistently sat above Punjab Agricultural University, Banaras Hindu University and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute throughout this period.

What this signals to a 2026 aspirant is twofold. First, NDRI is the undisputed leader in dairy science and technology in India - no other dairy-dedicated institute ranks near it. Second, the only institution consistently ahead of it, IARI, is a broad-spectrum crop and agricultural research body, so within the narrower dairy and animal-science specialisation NDRI effectively functions as the country's number-one destination. The stable trajectory also means a student enrolling in 2026 can reasonably expect the institutional reputation attached to their degree to remain top-tier, rather than betting on a rank that might slip.

How ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute Compares

The table below positions ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute against its closest NIRF Agriculture and Allied Sectors peers using the verified 2025 edition - the most recent. It answers the question "who is NDRI competing with, and by how much?" Read across each row for the institution, its 2025 rank and its 2025 score where published; the gap between scores tells you how tight the contest is. These are the institutions an aspirant would realistically weigh against NDRI for agriculture and allied admissions.

Two comparisons matter most. NDRI trails category-topper IARI by a meaningful margin (75.87 versus 89.23 in 2025), so IARI remains the broad agriculture leader. But the race for second is razor-thin: NDRI's 75.87 edges PAU Ludhiana's 75.83 by just 0.04 points in 2025, meaning NDRI's #2 status is earned rather than comfortable. For a dairy-focused aspirant, however, the comparison is academic - none of IARI, PAU, BHU or IVRI is a dedicated dairy institute, leaving NDRI Karnal as the clear first choice for dairy technology and dairy science.