294 Indian Universities Feature in QS Asia Ranking 2026, 7 Among Top 100; Read More

India’s presence in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026 marks a bold leap, with 294 institutions featured, the highest ever, and seven in the top 100. However, despite stronger overall scores, nine of India’s top 10 institutions, including seven IITs, witnessed rank declines, reflecting intense competition from East and Southeast Asian universities.

Leading the country again is the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi), ranked 59th in Asia, though it fell 15 places from last year. The rankings highlight India’s maturing research ecosystem, with strong improvements in research-productivity indicators such as papers per faculty and staff with PhD, underscoring the country’s growing academic depth.

Indian Universities in QS Asia 2026 vs 2025

IIT Bombay recorded the steepest drop, sliding 23 spots to 71, its lowest position in recent years. Chandigarh University emerged as the only Indian institution in the top 10 national list to improve its rank, rising from 120 to 109.

India delivered standout performance in research output. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (West Bengal) led Asia in ‘Papers per Faculty,’ followed by Bharathiar University, IISc Bengaluru, Anna University, and IIT Madras.

The nation also excelled in doctoral-qualified talent, led by NIT Nagaland and Mother Teresa Women’s University, with several IITs and IISER Bhopal ranking strongly in the ‘Staff with PhD’ category.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh University, BITS Pilani, OP Jindal Global University, and Lovely Professional University continued their upward momentum, reflecting growing competition within India's private higher-education sector.

QS CEO Jessica Turner noted that India’s accelerating research ecosystem and global partnerships are elevating its status as a knowledge and innovation hub in Asia, with upcoming priorities including internationalisation, industry-driven collaboration, and stronger research funding pathways.

Where India Lost Ground?

Despite score improvements, Indian institutions lost ground relative to peers in:

• Citations per paper: IIT Delhi (31.5), IIT Bombay (20.0), IIT Madras (20.3), far below regional leaders in the 90s
• Faculty-student ratio: IIT Kharagpur (16.5) to IIT Delhi (40.9), vs 80–90+ among top Asian universities
• International student ratio: most IITs in the 2.5–12.3 range, limiting global competitiveness

This trend reflects structural disadvantages in internationalisation and resource ratios compared with universities in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and South Korea.

The 2026 rankings were the largest yet, featuring 1,529 institutions, including 552 new entrants. China added 261 new universities, overtaking India’s 137 new entries. With China, South Korea, and Malaysia accelerating investments and global collaborations, India's institutions faced sharper rank pressure despite stronger performance.

Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Singapore dominated the top positions, with The University of Hong Kong taking first place.

QS CEO Jessica Turner remarked that India's expanding research capacity and global academic partnerships are positioning it as a rising knowledge hub. However, she highlighted internationalisation, faculty resources, research visibility, and funding as priority areas to sustain momentum.

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