Focusing on a few “top” national research universities is now a conscious higher education policy choice of governments in many countries. By doing this, governments aim for a spot in the global university rankings, sometimes at the cost of ignoring the larger higher educational landscape. In the context of India, the latest move of the federal government to develop a few “Institutions of Eminence” (IoEs) is commendable. But in its grand vision to develop IoEs, the government should not lose sight of reforming its provincial educational system.