The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked colleges, universities and technical institutions to register with the National Institution Ranking Framework web portal.

The UGC aims to bring transparency in the infrastructure, student-teacher ratio, placement, research work and other facilities available at the institutions.

UGC chairman Ved Prakash has directed all educational institutions - engineering, management, pharmacy, architecture and universities and colleges to register with the portal.

Once the institutions provide their details to the portal, the UGC will rank them accordingly.

The ranks would be available to students from the next academic session.

According to the web portal, there are some parameters based on which educational institutions have to fill in their details on the portal, including teaching, learning and resources, research, professional practices and collaborative performance; graduation outcomes; outreach and perception.

While the first two points (teaching and learning and resources) will cover basic information about the institution, graduation outcomes will measure student graduation rate and successful placements after students graduate.

Similarly, under outreach, the institutions will have to specify work done related to the representation of women and the socially challenged on their premises, in terms of student intake and faculty recruitment.

The last detail - perception - will encompass what the students' and teachers' think of their institution.

Sources said the UGC directive is sure to bring out the real picture of the institution and will be beneficial to students seeking admission.

Educational institutions in Patna have started preparing details to be put up on the website.

Asok De, director, National Institute of Technology, Patna, said: "We have started collecting the details according to the requirements of the framework web portal so as to submit them for the portal."

He added that it was a welcome step for students because they would get a lot of information about their college of choice from the website when they are looking at admissions.

Patna University pro vice-chancellor R.K. Verma said his institute had received a letter in this regard and he will ask all colleges under the university to do the needful.

Students are happy with the UGC step.

Saket Raj of DAV BSEB said: "The ranking will be of great help students preparing for engineering and medical entrance tests."

The ranking will be made available by April 2016 so that students can peruse it before college admissions begin in July.