How ARSD climbed up 8 NIRF ranks in 4 years

New Delhi: Three years ago, Anuj Yadav applied for admissions at Delhi University. Coming from a lower income family from Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur, Yadav’s first preference was the North Campus colleges that offered hostel accommodation to its students. But fate had other plans. He got admission for his chosen course, BA (Hons) Hindi, but not his preferred college.

Cut to the present and Yadav, now a third-year student at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College in South Campus, proudly dials his relatives and informs them that his college has continued its climb up the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). ARSD was ranked 13th in 2020, 12th in 2021, 7th in 2022, 6th in 2023 and this year is at the 5th spot among India’s top colleges.

“I remember some relatives had taunted me at the time of admission, saying I hadn’t been able to get into a prestigious North Campus college and only succeeded in finding a seat in a college that nobody knew about. It’s my turn now to tell them my college is the fifth best in the country,” the youth told TOI at the college’s canteen, sharing among other things, the college administration’s effort to check the price and hygiene of the food sold at the canteen.

Yadav and his friends testified to the changing impression of ARSD in the public eye over the past few years. This battle of image was explained by college principal Gyantosh Kumar Jha, who joined as a lecturer in 1992 and became its principal in Nov 2013. “We have broken that stereotypical perception with our hard work. The college’s reputation reflects the behaviour of its students and I am proud to say that every staff member works day and night to help our students evolve into responsible citizens of the country,” Jha told TOI.

The principal said the college’s increased emphasis on undergraduate research was the real game changer, with as many as 50 research projects of students and professors working together having been sanctioned under the Star College Scheme. “Societal problems are being tackled through science, research and innovation not at the PhD level but at the undergraduate level itself,” claimed Jha. “This has given our students an edge when they apply for competitive exams. Our graduates are getting admitted into the IITs and in reputed universities abroad. Many of them have bagged good scholarships.” Just last week, Jha said, 17 students were offered placements by Deloitte.

But wasn’t ARSD notorious for having miscreants among the students once upon a time? Jha conceded this, but said that meritorious students lead to better productivity, better productivity leads to better rankings and better rankings result in meritorious students seeking admission in the college. “It has taken us a long time but now we have shattered that perception of notoriety,” said Jha. “There is so much energy in our youth today. As teachers, we endeavour to channelise the students’ energy not only to meet their fullest potential, but also to imbibe a sense of belonging to the country and community.”

Jha said that the college has continuously strived to maintain a 1:20 students-teacher ratio. There are over 200 faculty members in the college for 4,500 students.

Jaunpur’s Yadav has only one lament — that ARSD does not have hostels for students, affecting particularly those from the southern and northeastern parts of the country. Jha agreed. “Hostels have been an ongoing demand of students and parents for many years. We will discuss this with the authorities,” he assured. The principal added that he was not fully satisfied with the fifth rank and the college aimed to ascend higher in the coming years.

As many as six colleges of DU have been ranked among the top 10 colleges in NIRF, with Hindu College securing the top position replacing Miranda House, which was perched at the top in last year’s rankings.