QS Subject Rankings 2026: 4 IITs, JNU, BITS Pilani Feature in Global Top 50; Check List Here

Content Writer | Updated On - Mar 30, 2026

India secured 27 top-50 positions in QS Subject Rankings 2026, more than doubling from 12 in 2024, with 12 institutions contributing to this achievement.

The 16th edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, released by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, highlights a strong upward trend in the global performance of Indian institutions. This year, a total of 99 Indian universities have been featured, compared to 79 five years ago, collectively recording 599 entries across 55 subject areas. Notably, 265 of these entries have improved their rankings, while only 80 witnessed a decline, indicating a significant positive shift.

Among countries with at least 10 ranked institutions, India has recorded the highest proportion of rising entries at 44%. The rankings evaluate over 21,000 academic programmes offered by more than 1,900 universities across 100+ countries, underscoring the growing global presence of Indian higher education institutions.

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026

India has also recorded 120 new entries in the QS Subject Rankings 2026, placing it fourth globally in terms of fresh appearances, following the United States, China, and the United Kingdom. With this, India now holds the fourth-largest overall representation in the rankings by number of institutions, further strengthening its position in the global higher education landscape.

Also Read:- Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2026 Out; 9 Indian Institutes in Top 100, Check Full List Here

Most-Ranked Institutions in India (QS Subject Rankings 2026)

IIT Bombay leads with 30 entries, followed by IIT Kharagpur (29) and the University of Delhi and IIT Madras (28 each). IIT Delhi stands out with six top-50 entries, including strong performances in Chemical Engineering and Computer Science. Jawaharlal Nehru University ranks 26th globally in Development Studies, while BITS Pilani enters the global top 50 in Pharmacy & Pharmacology.

Institution	Total Entries	Top 50	Top 100	Top 200	Best Subject 2026	Rank 2026	Rank 2025
IIT Bombay (IITB)	30	6	15	24	Engineering – Mineral & Mining	36	40
IIT Kharagpur (IIT-KGP)	29	2	11	23	Engineering – Mineral & Mining	22	45
University of Delhi	28	–	–	14	Economics & Econometrics	125	156
IIT Madras (IITM)	28	4	11	18	Petroleum Engineering	29	31
IIT Delhi (IITD)	23	6	15	21	Electrical & Electronic Engineering	36	47
Jawaharlal Nehru University	23	1	3	8	Development Studies	26	29
IIT Roorkee (IITR)	22	–	2	10	Civil & Structural Eng. / Mineral & Mining	51–100	101–150
VIT (Vellore Institute of Technology)	20	–	2	7	Computer Science & Information Systems	86	110
IISc Bangalore	19	–	6	14	Data Science & AI / Mineral & Mining	51–100	51–100
IIT Kanpur (IITK)	19	–	8	15	Data Science & AI / Mineral & Mining	51–100	51–100
IIT Guwahati (IITG)	16	–	1	5	Petroleum Engineering	51–100	51–100
Jadavpur University	16	–	–	1	English Language & Literature	151–200	201–250
BITS Pilani	15	1	1	4	Pharmacy & Pharmacology	45	84
Lovely Professional University (LPU)	15	–	–	1	Pharmacy & Pharmacology	151–200	251–300
IIT BHU Varanasi	15	–	–	–	Electrical & Electronic Engineering	201+	–

Beyond IITs, VIT improves significantly in Computer Science rankings, and Lovely Professional University rises in Pharmacy & Pharmacology. These trends indicate a growing and more competitive higher education landscape in India.

Most Represented Subject Areas (QS Subject Rankings 2026)

Subject	Entries 2026	Entries 2025	New Entrants	Top 100 Entries	Top Performer	Best Rank 2026
Computer Science & Information Systems	44	42	9	6	IIT Bombay (IITB)	44
Chemistry	38	34	5	2	IIT Bombay (IITB)	78
Biological Sciences	32	28	5	0	IISc Bangalore	143
Business & Management Studies	30	28	5	7	IIM Ahmedabad	21
Physics & Astronomy	28	24	5	0	IISc Bangalore	90
Mathematics	28	21	7	4	IIT Bombay (IITB)	84
Economics & Econometrics	27	22	7	0	IIT Delhi (IITD)	103
Engineering – Mechanical, Aero. & Manufacturing	25	22	3	6	IIT Delhi (IITD)	44
Engineering – Electrical & Electronic	23	21	4	6	IIT Delhi (IITD)	36
Medicine	23	20	6	1	AIIMS	105
Materials Science	22	21	2	5	IIT Delhi (IITD)	64
Pharmacy & Pharmacology	20	17	4	4	BITS Pilani	45
Engineering – Chemical	18	16	3	5	IIT Delhi (IITD)	48
Environmental Sciences	17	15	4	2	IIT Delhi (IITD)	78

Notable Debut & First Ever Rankings

IIM Ahmedabad enters Marketing at 21st, marking India’s first appearance in the subject, while Banaras Hindu University debuts in Library & Information Management and Panjab University in Hospitality & Leisure Management. IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi also feature in Social Policy & Administration, and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute makes India’s debut in Veterinary Science.

O.P. Jindal Global University enters the global top 50 in Law, while IIT Kharagpur debuts in Petroleum Engineering with a strong 28th rank, highlighting notable first-time achievements for Indian institutions.

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