The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) has retained its distinction as India’s highest-ranked university for the fifth consecutive year, even as its overall position in Asia dropped from 44th to 59th in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026. Released on Tuesday, the report underscores India’s expanding academic influence across the region, highlighting its gains in research productivity and faculty qualifications, while persistent challenges remain in the area of internationalisation.
According to the latest rankings, IIT Delhi leads the Indian contingent, followed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru at 64th, IIT Madras at 70th, IIT Bombay at 71st, IIT Kanpur and IIT Kharagpur—both at 77th—and Delhi University at 95th. These seven institutions feature in Asia’s top 100, maintaining India’s strong footprint in regional higher education despite slight declines in their individual positions.
India’s representation, however, continues to strengthen. Nineteen Indian universities achieved their highest-ever positions this year, including Chandigarh University (109th), BITS Pilani (154th), Shoolini University, and O.P. Jindal Global University (163rd). In total, India now has seven universities in the top 100, 20 in the top 200, and 66 in the top 500, reflecting a steadily growing presence in the Asian academic landscape.
Of the Indian institutions ranked last year, 36 improved their performance, 16 maintained their positions, while 105 recorded a decline. QS attributed some of this volatility to the expanded participation of universities — this year’s rankings assessed 1,529 institutions from 25 education systems, including 558 new entrants. Mainland China remains the most represented country with 395 universities, followed by India with 294, making it Asia’s second-largest higher education system.
Jessica Turner, CEO, QS Quacquarelli Symonds, said India’s growing participation demonstrates the long-term impact of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. “In just five years since NEP’s introduction, India has built globally relevant and locally empowering capacity. The inclusion of over 130 Indian universities in this year’s rankings highlights both depth and breadth. As research ecosystems mature and international partnerships expand, India is positioning itself as a global knowledge leader,” she stated.
At the regional level, the University of Hong Kong topped the 2026 Asia rankings, followed by Peking University in second place, while Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) shared third place.
The QS Asia rankings evaluate institutions based on 11 indicators, including Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, Faculty-Student Ratio, Citations per Paper, Papers per Faculty, Staff with PhD, International Research Network, International Faculty, International Students, and both inbound and outbound exchange metrics.
Among Indian universities, IIT Bombay ranked highest for Academic Reputation (26th in Asia) and Employer Reputation (11th), while Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences led in Citations per Paper. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT), West Bengal, topped Asia for Papers per Faculty.
India’s key strengths, the report noted, lie in its research output and faculty qualifications. The country leads the continent in the proportion of faculty with PhDs and in the number of papers published per faculty. Five Indian universities rank among Asia’s top 10 for research productivity, 28 in the top 50, and 45 in the top 100 for the “Staff with PhD” parameter. NIT Nagaland and Mother Teresa Women’s University jointly secured second place in Asia for faculty qualifications, while nine others — including IISc Bengaluru, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Bhubaneswar, IIT Patna, IIT Ropar, IISER Bhopal, and IIITDM Kancheepuram — share the fourth spot.
“These results underscore India’s sustained investment in faculty development and research-led teaching,” the report highlighted.
However, internationalisation continues to be India’s weakest area. The country scores significantly below the global average in indicators such as International Faculty (18.9 versus ~31 globally), International Students, and Student Exchange. “India continues to face challenges in cross-border engagement and diversity, with low levels of international faculty presence, student mobility, and exchange participation,” the report observed.
Despite these shortcomings, QS concluded that India’s expanding representation and dominance in research metrics mark a decisive step toward its goal of becoming a global hub for education, innovation, and knowledge creation.
