KIRF rankings: Cusat receives Chief Ministers Award for best university

Kochi: Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) was handed Chief Minister's Award for best university in 2025, as per Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework (KIRF). Rajagiri College of Social Sciences (Autonomous) topped the college category, while College of Engineering Trivandrum and Rajagiri Business School, Kakkanad, led engineering and management categories, respectively.Higher education minister R Bindu distributed awards at a function hosted by Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC), held at Rajagiri School of Social Sciences, Kochi, on Saturday.The best university award carries a purse of Rs 5 lakh, a plaque and a rank certificate. Rajagiri college won the award carrying Rs 2 lakh, a plaque and a rank certificate.Other winners included Nirmala College of Pharmacy, Muvattupuzha (pharmacy colleges), MIMS College of Nursing, Malappuram (nursing colleges), Farook Training College, Kozhikode (teacher education colleges) and College of Agriculture Vellayani (agriculture and allied sector colleges). Each award carries Rs 2 lakh, a plaque and a rank certificate.KIRF was developed by KSHEC as a state-level mechanism to assess and promote quality, transparency and academic excellence among higher education institutions in Kerala.