QS World University Rankings 2026

GS2 – Social Sector

Context

India has achieved a milestone with a record-breaking 54 institutions making it to the QS World University Rankings 2026.

About the Rankings:

The QS World University Rankings are released annually by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a UK-based organization that focuses on global higher education and international student mobility.

Evaluation Parameters:

Institutions are assessed based on a range of performance indicators including:

• Academic Reputation
• Employer Reputation
• Faculty-Student Ratio
• Ratio of International Faculty and Students
• Research Citations per Faculty Member
• Global Research Collaborations (International Research Network)
• Graduate Employment Outcomes
• Commitment to Sustainability

Global Highlights:

• MIT retained its top spot for the 14th consecutive year, achieving a perfect score of 100.
• The Top 5 universities in the world are:
  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  2. Imperial College London
  3. Stanford University
  4. University of Oxford
  5. Harvard University
• Top Asian Universities include:

• • National University of Singapore (8th)
  • Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (12th)
  • Peking University (14th)
  • Tsinghua University (17th)

• Biggest Leap: Malaysia’s Sunway University made a significant jump of over 120 positions.

India-Specific Highlights:

• India stands 4th globally in terms of the number of ranked institutions, trailing behind the United States (192), United Kingdom (90) and China (72).
• The number of Indian institutions featured has grown dramatically from 11 in 2014 to 54 in 2026, marking a 390% increase, the fastest growth rate among G20 countries.
• IIT Delhi leads among Indian universities, placed 123rd, rising by over 70 positions in just two years.
• IIT Bombay is ranked 129th, slightly down from its previous best of 118 in 2025.
• IIT Madras entered the top 200 for the first time, reaching 180th, with a significant climb of 47 places.
• Eight new Indian universities entered the rankings this year—the highest number of new entrants by any single country.