QS World Rankings 2026: IITs Dominate Top Spots Among Indian Institutions, DU And Anna University Feature In Global 500

India has achieved its best performance to date in the QS World University Rankings 2026, with 54 Indian higher education institutions featured in the list—up from 46 in 2025 and 45 in 2024.

From just 11 ranked institutions in 2014, the 390 per cent surge places India as the fastest-growing higher education system among G20 countries and the fourth most represented country globally, after the US, UK, and China.

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) is at the top among Indian institutions in the ranking, climbing to a joint 123rd position (alongside Georgia Institute of Technology, US) - its best-ever performance.

Rising from 150 in 2025 and 197 in 2024, IIT Delhi’s ascent is supported by top global scores in Employer Reputation (50th), Citations per Faculty (86th), and Academic Reputation (142nd).

IIT Bombay slipped to 129th from its record 118th in 2025 but holds its ground in the global top 130, ranking 39th globally in Employer Reputation.

IIT Madras posted a dramatic leap of 47 ranks, landing at 180th rank and entering the global top 200 for the first time.

IIT Kharagpur (215), IISc Bangalore (219), and IIT Kanpur (222) also featured prominently among India’s top-ranked institutions.

Outside the IIT system, Delhi University (328) and Anna University (465) made the cut within the top 500.

Eight Indian universities have debuted in the rankings this year—more than any other country.

Commenting on the development, PM Modi said, "The QS World University 2026 Rankings bring great news for our education sector. Our Government is committed to furthering research and innovation ecosystems for the benefit of India’s youth".

Union Education Minister also hailed the performance of Indian institutions in the latest QS rankings.

"With a record 54 HEIs featuring among the global best, India hits a new high in the QS World University 2026 Rankings. From just 11 universities in 2014 to 54 in the latest rankings, this five-fold jump is a testament to the transformative educational reforms ushered by PM Narendra Modi ji’s govt. in the last decade. NEP 2020 is not just changing our educational landscape, it is revolutionising it," Pradhan said in a post on X.

"Matter of immense pride that India is also the fastest growing education system among G20 countries and the fourth most represented behind only the U.S. UK and China. Confident that with NEP’s thrust on research, innovation and internationalisation, more Indian HEIs will scale global excellence in the times ahead," he added.

MIT retained the global top spot for the 14th consecutive year, trailed by Imperial College London (2nd), Stanford (3rd), Oxford (4th), and Harvard (5th).

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