IIT Delhi, Bombay Among Top 130 in QS World University Rankings 2026

By Ezra June 20, 2025
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India Rises in QS World University Rankings 2026 as IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay Enter Global Top 130

India has made significant progress in global higher education, with IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay breaking into the top 130 of the QS World University Rankings 2026. Released early Thursday, the latest rankings place IIT Delhi at 123rd and IIT Bombay at 129th, making them the two highest-ranked Indian institutions.

This marks a substantial leap for IIT Delhi, which has steadily climbed the rankings from 197th in 2024 and 150th in 2025. The institute’s improved position is attributed to its strong performance in key indicators including Employer Reputation (50th), Citations per Faculty (86th), Sustainability (172nd), and Academic Reputation (142nd).

On the global front, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) continues its dominance, retaining the number one spot for the 14th consecutive year. Imperial College London and Stanford University followed in second and third place, respectively. The United States remains the most represented country with 192 universities, while Germany and Italy also recorded gains. Notably, Politecnico di Milano became the first Italian university to enter the top 100, ranked 98th.

Several other Indian institutions also showed upward momentum. IIT Madras recorded one of the largest jumps, rising 47 places to 180th. IIT Kharagpur and IISc Bangalore secured fourth and fifth place among Indian universities, respectively. Meanwhile, the University of Delhi maintained its rank at 328th, building on last year’s significant improvement from 407th.

This year’s rankings assessed over 1,500 universities worldwide, and introduced a new International Student Diversity (ISD) indicator to reflect the global mix of campus populations.

The rise in rankings for Indian institutions reflects growing international recognition, enhanced research output, and increased graduate employability. Nearly 50% of Indian universities featured in the rankings saw improvements over last year, evidence of India’s growing presence and competitiveness on the global academic stage.

With continued momentum, India’s top universities are now outperforming 91% of all ranked institutions, firmly establishing their position in the world’s higher education landscape.

Source: THE INDIAN EXPRESS

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