Church institutes top education surveys

Catholic institutions have dominated the two major national rankings of India’s best higher education institutions, but in the list of best institutions in ‘new subjects’ the church institutions are a negligible presence.
Loyola College Chennai has topped India Today magazine’s best college ranking in both arts and science.

The Jesuit-run Loyola College Chennai is India’s best college in arts, followed by the Church of North India’s St Stephen’s College in Delhi University . In the top 10 arts colleges of India, at least seven are Christian colleges—St Xavier’s in Mumbai and Kolkota, St Joseph’s and Christ Colleges in Bangalore, and Madras Christian College.

Loyola principal Father A Muthumalai is quoted by the magazine as saying that the college’s “key differentiator is the emphasis on the overall development of our 7,000 students.”

In science category too the Loyola College, Chennai has topped the rankings. It is followed by St Xavier’s Kolkota at second position and St Xavier’s Ahmedabad at third position. St Stephen’s College in Delhi follows in fourth, to be followed by St Xavier’s Mumbai and Madras Christian College in the next two positions.

In Commerce, Loyola College, Chennai comes up at third position, followed by St Xavier’s Kolkota at fourth, Christ College Bangalore at fifth and Madras Christian College at sixth. The top two positions in commerce have gone to Delhi colleges—Sri Ram College of Commerce and Lady Sri Ram College.

In the rankings for law, engineering and medicine there are very few Christian colleges in the top rankings. In the medical category, Christian Medical College Vellore is placed third in the rankings, and St John’s Bangalore is at ninth position.

In Outlook magazine’s rankings of professional colleges too the lack of growth of nationally recognized Christian institutions in engineering, medicine and management are noticeable. While IITs dominate the rankings of top engineering colleges, only CMC Vellore figures in the top five of the best medical colleges.

In the Outlook ranking too St John’s Bangalore comes up at ninth among medical colleges.