News: India has achieved its highest-ever representation in the QS World University Rankings 2026, with 54 institutions making it to the list.
About QS World University Rankings
- The QS World University Rankings is an annual global ranking of universities published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a leading higher education analytics organization.
- Aim: The aim of these rankings is to help students, academics, and employers compare the performance of universities worldwide.
- Methodology
- The QS World University Rankings use a structured approach to assess institutions across the globe.
- Each ranking is built on a set of measurements that help evaluate different aspects of university performance. These measurements are grouped as follows:
- Lens: A collection of indicators linked by a common theme, such as research or employability.
- Indicator: A specific area of performance, such as Citations per Faculty or Employer Reputation. Institutions are scored and ranked on each indicator, which contributes to their overall rank.
- Metric: A detailed calculation within an indicator, used to generate precise scores.
Key Insights from QS World University Ranking 2026
- India has 54 universities in the QS World University Rankings 2026, making it the fourth most represented country.
- Only the United States (192), the United Kingdom (90), and Mainland China (72) have more universities ranked than India.
- Eight Indian institutions have entered the rankings for the first time.
- This is the highest number of new entrants from any country this year.
- Numbers: The number of Indian universities in the rankings has grown from 11 in 2015 to 54 in 2026.
- This marks a five-fold increase in just over a decade.
- 48 percent of India’s ranked universities improved their positions compared to the previous year.
- Six Indian institutions feature in the global top 250.
- Rankings
- IIT Delhi leads the Indian contingent. It is ranked 123rd globally, rising from 150th in 2025.
- IIT Madras recorded one of the biggest jumps, rising 47 places from 227 in 2025 to 180 in 2026.
- A total of 12 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) feature in the list, highlighting their strong presence in global academia.
- Five Indian institutions feature in the global top 100 for Employer Reputation.
- Eight Indian universities rank among the world’s top 100 for Citations per Faculty.
- Their average score of 43.7 is higher than that of Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
- India now has a diverse mix of public and private institutions represented, including central universities, deemed-to-be universities, and technical institutes.
Global Highlights
- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, holds the top position for the 14th straight year.
- It is followed by Imperial College London and Stanford University, which climbed from sixth to third.
- The US remains the most represented country overall, with 192 institutions featured in the list, and most showing improved positions.
- China continues its strong presence, with Peking University at 14th (92.6), and Tsinghua University rising to 17th with a score of 91.2.
