New Delhi, June 19
A record 54 Indian institutes have been featured in the QS World University Rankings 2026 released on Thursday, with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) emerging as the country’s top-ranked institute.
IIT Delhi’s global ranking has seen a significant jump from the earlier 150th position to the current 123rd rank.
This is also the highest QS World University Ranking achieved so far by the Institute.
"India's higher education institutes witness unprecedented rise in QS global university rankings, with more institutions than ever before earning their place on the world stage," the Ministry of Education said in a post on the social media platform X.
"India has emerged as the fastest-growing G20 nation in the QS World University Rankings, with a phenomenal 390 per cent growth over the past decade," it added.
IIT Delhi is closely followed by IIT Bombay, which was the top Indian institute in last year's rankings. It dropped to the 129th position this year from 118 in 2025.
IIT Madras jumped 47 places to secure the 180th spot, up from 227 in 2025.
For the first time, eight Indian institutions entered the list of QS rankings. It is the highest number of new entries from any country.
With the 2026 QSRankings, India has become the fourth most represented nation globally, after the US, UK, and China.
About 48 per cent of India’s ranked universities improved their positions this year.
Five Indian institutions rank in the global top 100 for Employer Reputation.
"From just 11 universities in 2014 to 54 in the latest rankings, this five-fold jump is a testament to the transformative educational reforms ushered by PM Narendra Modi ji’s govt. in the last decade. NEP 2020 is not just changing our educational landscape, it is revolutionising it," said Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, on X.
IIT Kharagpur (215), IISc Bangalore (219), and Delhi University (328) are other premier Indian institutes that made it to the prestigious list.
It also includes private institutions such as BITS Pilani (668) and OP Jindal Global University (851-900).
Meanwhile, the global list continues to be led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), marking its 14th consecutive year at the top.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is fantastic news! 🇮🇳 IIT Delhi making it to 123rd position shows our technical education is world-class. But we must focus on improving humanities and social sciences too - why no Indian university in top 100 for those subjects?
As an IIT Bombay alumna, I'm a bit disappointed to see us slip in rankings. But 54 Indian institutions making the list is something to celebrate! Hope this attracts more international students to study in India.
Great progress but still long way to go. China has 71 universities in top 500 while we have just 12. Need more focus on research funding and faculty quality. Jai Hind!
So proud to see DU at 328! Often our universities are criticized but this shows we're making solid progress. The NEP reforms seem to be working. More power to our education system ✨
Rankings are good but what about employability? Many IIT graduates still go for MBA or abroad. Need industry-academia collaboration to retain talent and boost innovation ecosystem.
Happy to see private universities like BITS and Jindal making the cut! Shows quality education isn't limited to government institutions. Hope this encourages more private investment in higher education.
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