Guwahati: Universities from the Northeast have made a strong showing in the National Green University Ranking (NGUR) 2026, with four institutions from the region featuring among India’s top 50 for sustainability. The achievement highlights the growing emphasis on climate-conscious higher education in one of the country’s richest biodiversity regions.
Leading the Northeast is Assam University, Silchar, which secured the 11th rank nationally, followed by the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) at 13th. The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Meghalaya was ranked 36th, while Madhabdev University in Assam secured the 50th position.
The rankings, released by Green Mentors, evaluate universities across a range of sustainability indicators, including governance, climate action, biodiversity conservation, green infrastructure, water stewardship, sustainability research, curriculum integration and community engagement.
Among the northeastern institutions, USTM emerged as the highest-ranked private university, while Assam University was the region’s top-performing institution overall.
The recognition comes as universities across the Northeast continue to invest in renewable energy, biodiversity conservation, sustainable campus infrastructure and environmental research, drawing on the region’s unique ecological wealth.
Unlike conventional university rankings that primarily assess academic performance, the NGUR focuses on measurable sustainability outcomes. Institutions were evaluated based on sustainability reports, environmental audits, institutional policies, research output and documented environmental impact.
At the national level, NIT Calicut topped the rankings, followed by IIIT Bangalore and the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Bhubaneswar.
According to Green Mentors, the rankings are aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the UNESCO Greening Higher Education Framework. The initiative encourages universities to integrate sustainability into teaching, research, campus operations, and community outreach.
The organisation said the institutions recognised this year demonstrate that higher education is increasingly emerging as a key driver of climate action, ecological restoration and sustainable development. The strong presence of northeastern universities in the national rankings also reflects the region’s growing contribution to environmentally responsible higher education.