QS University Rankings: Record 54 institutions from India feature in list, IIT Delhi ranked highest
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi is the best-ranked Indian institution in QS World University Rankings for 2026 by climbing more than 70 places in two years to secure the 123rd spot in the coveted list.
With eight new institutions added to the ranking this year, India now has 54 institutions included, making it the fourth most represented country behind only the US (192 institutions), the UK (90 institutions) and Mainland China (72 institutions).
No other country or territory has seen as many universities added to the ranking this year. Jordan and Azerbaijan are second most improved and have both seen six added in 2026 rankings.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday lauded India's performance in the rankings, saying the country has hit a new high.
IIT Delhi ranked 123rd this year compared with 197 and 150 in previous two years. This has been due to outstanding results in Employer Reputation (where it now ranks 50th), Citations (86th), Sustainability (172nd), and Academic Reputation (142nd).
IIT Delhi has jointly bagged the rank alongside Georgia Institute of Technology, US.
While IIT Bombay slipped to 129th this year from its all-time best rank of 118 in 2025, it remains in the global top 130 and continues to score highly on Employer Reputation, ranking 39th in that indicator.
The coveted QS World University Rankings, published annually by Londoon-based global higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds, assess universities based on a variety of performance indicators including academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, research impact, international student diversity and graduate employability.
"India is rewriting the global higher education map. No other country has seen more universities debut in this edition of the QS World University Rankings — a clear sign of a system evolving at speed and scale," Jessica Turner, CEO of QS, said.
"In the world's most populous nation — with more than 40 per cent of its people under 25 — the drive to expand both access and quality is not just an education agenda, it is a national imperative. Delivering on India's 50 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio target by 2035 will require growth on an extraordinary scale — equivalent to building 14 new universities every week, according to QS estimates," she added.
Turner said, "We see clear progress. Indian universities are strengthening their global research footprint and advancing in areas such as Citations per Faculty, Sustainability, and International Research Network. But the rankings also highlight the next frontier — attracting more international students and faculty and building academic capacity to support quality at scale".
Close to half of the 46 Indian universities featured in last year's ranking improved their positions this year. Overall, 54 of over universities from 106 countries and territories featured in the 2026 ranking are from India.
QS officials noted that in just a decade, India's ranked universities have grown from 11 to 54 — a 390 per cent increase, the strongest performance across the G20, and testament to the growing global recognition of India's higher education excellence.
Six of India's 11 public and private institutes of eminence have improved their positions this year, including Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) which climbed 47 places and entered the top 200 for the first time at 180th.
All three private institutes of eminence increased their positions, with only two private universities – Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences (503rd) and Chandigarh University (575th) - ahead of Birla Institute of Technology and Science at 668.
"India's remarkable progress in this year's QS World University Rankings reflects not only the rising global stature of its leading institutions, but also the growing breadth and ambition of its higher education landscape. The addition of eight new universities to the rankings, more than any other country, signals an encouraging trajectory.
"With increasing global engagement, investment in research, and a sharp focus on employability, Indian universities are beginning to align more closely with the expectations of a rapidly evolving knowledge economy," Ashwin Fernandes, QS Regional Director – Middle East, Africa and South Asia, said.
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