BITS Pilani Breaks into Top 10 Indian Institutes in Prestigious International CS Rankings

Delhi, 24 September 2025 Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani has achieved a significant milestone by securing 9th position among Indian institutions in the 2025 edition of the globally respected CSRankings, an international metric-based evaluation of Computer Science research output.

CSRankings is a fully transparent, data-driven system that measures research excellence based on faculty publications in top-tier conferences (CORE A*). The ranking draws exclusively from publicly available data on the DBLP computer science bibliography, leaving no scope for self-reported submissions or subjective surveys.

In the previous combined ranking (2023–24), BITS Pilani held the 10th position, while in 2024 it was 15th. The new rank of No. 9 reflects the Institute’s sustained growth and consistency in a highly competitive research landscape—surpassing several established IITs, TIFR, IMSc, ISI Kolkata, CMI India, DAIICT and IIIT Bangalore.

“CSRankings is purely publication-based, where an institution’s standing depends entirely on the quality of venues in which its faculty publish,” said Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor, BITS Pilani. “This recognition places BITS Pilani firmly among the leading institutions in Computer Science research in the country and reflects the dedication and excellence of our faculty across campuses.”

APPCAIR: Driving Research Excellence

A key contributor to this success is the Anuradha and Prashanth Palakurthi Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (APPCAIR), established with a landmark $1 million alumni donation. APPCAIR focuses on cutting-edge areas such as Generative AI, Machine Learning, Probabilistic Modelling, Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, and Autonomous Agents, fostering high-quality research and training the next generation of AI leaders.

Prof. Snehanshu Saha, Head of APPCAIR, emphasized: “Our mission is to conduct focused, high-quality AI research and nurture responsible data scientists. This performance strengthens BITS’s standing as a research powerhouse in AI and computing.”

About CS Rankings

• Metrics-based evaluation of global Computer Science departments
• Focus on top-tier conference publications (CORE A*) across multiple subfields
• Data Source: DBLP Digital Bibliography (no institutional data submissions)
• Scoring: Weighted by publication count, conference quality, subfield, and co-authorship

About BITS Pilani

Recognized as an Institution of Eminence by the Government of India, BITS Pilani operates campuses in Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad, and Dubai, serving over 18,000 students including more than 200 Ph.D. scholars. It is also the only private university selected by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to host a Technology Innovation Hub under the Bio-CPS vertical with a grant of ₹125 crore.

The 2025 CSRankings achievement further reinforces BITS Pilani’s reputation as a hub of cutting-edge research and academic excellence, making it a top destination for aspiring computer scientists and researchers worldwide.