The latest Times Higher Education (THE) World Reputation Rankings 2025 are out, featuring four Indian universities. However, all of them have slipped in rankings compared to last year.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, previously in the 101-125 range in 2023, has now moved to the 201-300 band. IIT Delhi and IIT Madras have also fallen into the same category after ranking higher last year. IIT Bombay, which was in the 151-175 bracket in 2023, has dropped out of the list entirely.
A new entry, Shiksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA), has secured a position in the 201-300 range. SOA, a private deemed-to-be university in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, was established in 1996 and comprises nine degree-granting schools and institutes.
THE World Reputation Rankings 2025: Top Indian Institutes
| Rank in India | Global Rank | Institute Name |
| 1 | 201-300 | Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru |
| 2 | 201-300 | Indian Institute of Technology Delhi |
| 3 | 201-300 | Indian Institute of Technology Madras |
| 4 | 201-300 | Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan, Bhubaneswar |
THE World Global Rankings
For the 14th consecutive year, Harvard University retains the top spot in the THE World Reputation Rankings. The University of Oxford has climbed to join second place alongside the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), making it the highest-ranked UK institution since 2015.
US universities continue to dominate, securing six of the top ten positions. China’s Tsinghua University remains at 8th place, while Japan’s University of Tokyo has claimed the 10th spot.
THE World Reputation Rankings 2025: Top 10 Global Universities
| Rank | Institute Name | Location |
| 1 | Harvard University | United States |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | United States |
| 3 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| 4 | Stanford University | United States |
| 5 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| 6 | University of California, Berkeley | United States |
| 7 | Princeton University | United States |
| 8 | Tsinghua University | China |
| 9 | Yale University | United States |
| 10 | The University of Tokyo | Japan |
New Countries Join the Rankings
This year, ten new countries have entered the rankings, including Malaysia and Poland. Additionally, the Sub-Saharan Africa has made a return after being absent since 2022.
Despite the decline, Indian universities remain globally recognized. However, the drop underscores the need for stronger academic research and international collaboration to improve future rankings.
THE World Reputation Rankings – Methodology
The Times Higher Education (THE) World Reputation Rankings 2025 evaluate universities based on their global academic prestige. The methodology includes six key factors:
- Research vote count
- Teaching vote count
- Research pairwise comparison
- Teaching pairwise comparison
- Research voter diversity
- Teaching voter diversity
These indicators measure how universities are perceived in terms of research influence and teaching excellence. The rankings are based on surveys conducted among experienced scholars, who nominate universities they consider outstanding in their fields.
The 2025 edition features 300 universities from 38 countries, reflecting shifts in academic reputation worldwide.
For the complete list of universities in the THE World Reputation Rankings 2025, visit the official website.
