Outlook’s annual ranking of India’s best professional colleges (in partnership with Drshti Strategic Research Services) can help students make an informed choice on the line of education across 12 streams. The process of ranking the country’s best professional colleges began by an extensive listing of institutes, writing to and contacting the directors of institutes who participated over the past years. This year, in an attempt to encourage new entrants across all the streams and ensure continued response from patrons, we conducted a rigorous follow-up through emails, multiple phone calls and field visits to maximise participation. As is the norm, for most streams, we considered colleges with government accreditation or affiliation, and with at least three batches that had graduated.