News: Recently, the QS World University Rankings 2026 was released by QS Quacquarelli Symonds.
About QS Asia University Rankings 2026
- The 2026 rankings included 552 new institutions, intensifying competition across Asia.
- China added the highest number (261) of new institutions, overtaking India, which added 137 new entries this year.
- Overall, India now has 294 institutions in the QS Asia rankings, compared to China’s 395.
- Nine of India’s top ten institutions including seven IITs have seen a decline in rankings in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026.
- Despite the fall in rank, most Indian institutions’ scores have actually improved, indicating tougher competition from other Asian countries.
- The University of Hong Kong topped the list, followed by Peking University (China) and National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University (joint third).
- China, Hong Kong, and Singapore continue to dominate the top 10, while South Korea and Malaysia show notable upward movement.
- South Korea’s leading universities like Yonsei University and Korea University climbed steadily due to strategic focus on research and internationalisation.
- Malaysia also improved, with Universiti Malaya and Universiti Putra Malaysia gaining ranks on the back of better faculty-student ratios and international engagement.
About Findings Related to India
- Among these, Chandigarh University was the only one to improve its rank, moving from 120 to 109 this year.
- 36 Indian universities have improved their ranking this year with Sathyamaba Institute of Science and Technology seeing the biggest improvement.
- IIT Bombay recorded the sharpest fall, dropping 23 places from 48 to 71.
- IIT Delhi remained India’s top-ranked institution, even though it fell 15 ranks to 59
- Reasons for Rank Decline:
- Indian institutes improved overall scores, but others in the region advanced faster, especially in research and global engagement.
- Citations per paper: Indian IITs lag behind regional leaders, for example, IIT Delhi (31.5), IIT Bombay (20.0), IIT Madras (20.3) compared to top Asian universities scoring in the 90s.
- Faculty-Student Ratio: Many IITs face resource and staffing challenges, with scores ranging from 16.5 (IIT Kharagpur) to 40.9 (IIT Delhi) far below the top Asian average (80–90 range).
- Internationalisation: IITs continue to have very low international student ratios (2.5–12.3), compared with global leaders scoring 100 on this metric.
- Limited international faculty and research collaboration further weaken their global visibility.
