New Delhi [India], June 19: India has recorded its strongest-ever showing in the QS World University Rankings 2026, with 54 institutions featured in the global list — a remarkable 390% increase over the past decade, marking the highest growth among G20 nations.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi emerged as the top-ranked institution from India, rising 27 places to secure the 123rd global position. It was followed by IIT Bombay at 129th and IIT Madras at 180th — the latter entering the global top 200 for the first time.
The rankings, compiled by global higher education analyst QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), evaluated over 1,500 universities across 106 countries and territories. With 54 institutions, India is now the fourth most represented country, trailing only the United States (192), the United Kingdom (90), and Mainland China (72).
“This year, India has added the most new universities to the QS rankings, with eight fresh entries,” said QS CEO Jessica Turner. “It’s a clear sign of a system evolving at both speed and scale. India is rewriting the global higher education map.”
India’s impressive rise in the rankings has been attributed to improved performance in key areas such as Employer Reputation, Citations per Faculty, and Sustainability. Turner emphasized that expanding access and quality in education is not just a policy priority but a national imperative.
IIT Delhi stood out in multiple indicators — ranking 50th globally in Employer Reputation, 86th in Citations per Faculty, and 142nd in Academic Reputation. Five Indian institutions, including IIT Bombay and IIT Kanpur, are now among the global top 100 for Employer Reputation.
India also made significant strides in research impact. Eight institutions were placed in the global top 100 for Citations per Faculty, with IISc Bangalore leading at 15th place, followed by IIT Kharagpur and IIT Guwahati.
Despite the progress, challenges remain. Internationalisation continues to be a weak area, with 78% of Indian institutions witnessing a decline in the International Student Ratio. No Indian university made it into the global top 500 in this metric. Amity University in Noida ranks the highest among Indian institutions in this category at 540th.
Faculty-Student Ratio is another concern. Sixty-three percent of Indian universities saw a decline in this indicator, with only O.P. Jindal Global University featuring among the global top 350.
Among India’s Institutes of Eminence (IoEs), six—including IIT Madras and the University of Delhi—improved their global positions. All three private IoEs—BITS Pilani, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, and O.P. Jindal Global University—either improved or retained their previous ranks.
Turner noted that to meet India’s ambitious goal of achieving a 50% Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) by 2035, the country would need to build the equivalent of 14 new universities every week. She emphasized that transnational education and international research collaborations would be vital to achieving this target.