THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala University, which was ranked 27th among universities in the country in the ‘National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) - India Rankings 2021’ retained its spot as the top university in the state. However, its rank slipping four places from 23 in 2020 came as a dampener. The varsity’s ranking of 43 in the ‘overall’ category also slightly dipped by one place compared to last year. In a statement, the varsity said it had been retaining the top slot ever since NIRF was introduced in 2016.