London-based QS Quacquarelli Symonds on Tuesday released its QS World University Rankings for Sustainability 2026, showing that India, with 103 universities, had the fourth-highest number of institutions in the list, behind the United States, China, and the United Kingdom.
The QS sustainability rankings, established in 2023, assess institutions across environmental and social sustainability categories such as environmental impact, social impact, and governance. These include indicators covering environmental research, sustainability, and education, along with equality, employability, knowledge exchange, and health and wellbeing.
The rankings released on Tuesday showed institutions from the U.K., Canada, Sweden, and the U.S. dominating the top 15, with Lund University in Sweden taking the top position. This year’s edition features close to 2,000 institutions from over 100 locations worldwide.
While this is IIT Delhi’s highest position in the sustainability rankings since their inception, it is lower in relative terms compared to its performance last year, when around 1,700 institutions were ranked. Among the top 15 Indian universities in this year’s sustainability rankings, nine saw their positions drop compared to the previous year. These included Jadavpur University, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, the Indian Institute of Science, and others.
Across the 103 Indian institutions ranked, 30 saw their positions decline, 32 improved, and 15 remained unchanged.
QS said in a statement that environmental education was the indicator in which nearly half of India’s ranked universities showed improvement. Nine Indian institutions scored above 84 in this indicator, including IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Banaras Hindu University, and the Indian Institute of Science.
In comparison, Indian institutions scored relatively lower in the social impact indicators—equality and impact of education. For example, while IISc secured its highest score in Environmental Education (96), its equality score was around 51.6, and its impact of education score was 52.5. Similarly, among the 16 IITs that featured in the rankings, equality scores ranged from 21.5 (IIT Ropar) to 69.8 (IIT Kanpur).
In a statement, Jessica Turner, CEO of QS, said: “Overall, Indian universities excel in knowledge exchange and environmental sustainability. The higher education system also boasts some outstanding individual performances, especially among the IITs and institutions such as the University of Delhi.
“The role of higher education in the fight against climate change is highlighted in these rankings. India’s role in sustainable development can neither be understated. With its ambitious renewable energy goals and commitment to SDGs, particularly around development in the Global South, will require strong research capabilities and green skills. It is key that Indian universities continue to be supported to provide both the talent and the innovation required for a sustainable future,” she said.
