IIT Delhi tops among Indian institutions in QS World Rankings 2026, India logs record 54 entries

India has achieved a significant milestone in the QS World University Rankings 2026, with a record 54 institutions featuring on the prestigious list. This places India as the fourth most represented country globally, behind only the US, UK, and Mainland China. The latest rankings, released on Thursday, show a substantial increase with eight new Indian institutions making their debut this year, more than any other country.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has emerged as the highest-ranked Indian institution, securing the 123rd position worldwide. This marks an impressive jump of over 70 places in two years, attributed to strong performances in Employer Reputation, Citations per Faculty, Sustainability, and Academic Reputation. While IIT Bombay, ranked 118th last year, saw a slight slip to 129th, it still remains within the global top 130 and boasts a high Employer Reputation score. Notably, IIT Madras also made a significant leap, climbing 47 places to enter the top 200 for the first time at 180th.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan lauded India's remarkable performance, emphasizing the country's rapid progress in the higher education sector. Jessica Turner, CEO of QS, highlighted India's "system evolving at speed and scale," acknowledging the nation's drive to expand both access and quality in education. The QS World University Rankings, compiled by London-based global higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds, evaluate universities based on various indicators including academic reputation, employer reputation, research impact, international student diversity, and graduate employability.

This decade has seen India's ranked universities grow from just 11 to 54, a 390% increase that underscores the growing global recognition of India’s higher education excellence. While significant progress has been made in research footprint and sustainability, QS officials noted that the next frontier for Indian universities lies in attracting more international students and faculty, and building academic capacity to support quality at scale.