7 Indian institutes among top 100 in world university rankings

Seven Indian institutions — five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and Delhi University — are ranked in the top 100 in the latest ‘QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026’ announced on Tuesday. Chandigarh University has improved its ranking from 120 last year to 109 this time.

In the top 100, IIT Delhi fell from 44th to 59th, IISc from 62nd to 64th, IIT Madras from 56th to 70th, IIT Kanpur from 67th to 77th and Delhi University from 81st to 95th. There are 20 Indian institutions in the top 200 and 66 in the top 500.

This 17th edition of the ranking is the largest ever, featuring 1,529 universities across 25 higher education systems. India has added 137 universities to reach a total of 294, the second-most represented higher education system this year.

The total number of ranked entries from India in the rankings has grown from 24 in 2016 to 294 in 2026. This is a 1,125 per cent increase in representation compared to the 273 per cent rise of China.

India dominates the Papers per Faculty indicator, a measure of research productivity, with five universities ranked among Asia’s top 10 and 28 among the top 50 — more than double the number achieved by its closest competitor, China (two in the top 10 and 14 in the top 50).

“India’s higher education ecosystem continues to accelerate, underpinned by the National Education Policy and growing research capacity. Of last year’s Indian institutions, 36 improved, 16 remained the same and 105 dropped,” as per the report.

As many as 19 universities achieved their highest-ever ranking, including Chandigarh University, BITS Pilani, Shoolini University and OP Jindal Global University. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal, is number 1 in Asia for Papers per Faculty. IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur recorded major gains, climbing to 15th and 33rd, respectively, in Employer Reputation.

Jessica Turner, CEO, QS Quacquarelli Symonds, commented: “India’s higher education transformation is now visible in the data. In just five years since the launch of the National Education Policy, India has built system-level capacity that is globally relevant and locally empowering.”

“The entry of over 130 Indian universities into this year’s Asia Rankings is a strong signal of depth as well as breadth. As research ecosystems mature and international partnerships scale, India is positioning itself not only as a study destination but as a global knowledge leader, shaping innovation, inclusion and sustainable growth across Asia,” Symonds added.