In the contemporary world, countries strive for a knowledge-based economy where ideas, skills, technology, and education are the most valuable resources and instrumental in quality enhancement for human capital formation. However, in recent times, they are in a race to prove their credentials in number games. A series of ranking and accreditation bodies exist to appraise their academic performance within the country and worldwide. However, the methodological frameworks suffer from various drawbacks. This study aims to critically assess the existing and established ranking and accreditation frameworks in India and propose an alternative mechanism to analyze the performance of higher education institutions in India. It targets the HEIs specializing in five disciplines (Arts, Science, Commerce, Management, and Engineering and Technology) and will segregate the institutions from different perspectives to find a better result. Finally, it will try to understand the motivators and barriers along with policy impacts on the performance of Indian higher education institutions. This study will use the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method to determine the efficiency scores of the selected Indian higher education institutions because these decision-making units (DMUs) use multiple inputs to produce multiple outputs. For this study, secondary data sources will be used to collect the data, such as the NIRF database, AISHE database, and the annual reports of the higher education institutions. The study's results will help the stakeholders of the HEIs to understand their strengths and weaknesses in utilizing their resources efficiently. However, when higher education improves, it will produce well-prepared and better-skilled graduates who can contribute more effectively to society and the economy.

Keywords: Academic Performance Appraisal (APA), Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA).