Bengaluru: India has strengthened its position as Asia’s second-largest higher education system, with 325 universities featuring in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027, compared with 294 last year. The country added 34 new institutions, second only to Mainland China, taking its representation to nearly one-fifth of all ranked universities in Asia.
India’s ranked university count has increased more than 13-fold since 2016. However, growing competition across the region has put pressure on its leading institutions, with all six of the country’s highest-ranked institutes recording a decline in the latest edition.
The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) retained its position as the country’s highest-ranked institution at 66th, although it slipped seven places from 59th last year. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore fell to 79th from 64th, while IIT Bombay dropped to 83rd from 71st. IIT Madras, IITKharagpur and IIT Kanpur also registered declines.
The University of Delhi fell out of the regional top 100, dropping from 95th to 106th. In contrast, Chandigarh University climbed to 104th, its highest-ever position, while Lovely Professional University improved to 154th from 187th. Jawaharlal Nehru University, Symbiosis International and JamiaMilliaIslamia were among the other institutions that made gains.
Released by Quacquarelli Symonds, the latest edition of the rankings features 1,722 universities across 26 higher education systems, including 195 new entrants.
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Despite the setbacks, India emerged as Asia’s strongest performer in research output relative to academic staff. Five Indian universities featured in the regional top 10 for Papers Per Faculty, more than from any other education system. IISc secured the top position, while IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IITRoorkee and IITRopar also featured in the top 10.
India’s doctoral research capacity was another major strength, with 15 universities sharing first place in Asia for the proportion of academic staff holding PhD qualifications. Indian institutions also accounted for 47 of the region’s top 100 universities in this category.However, translating research output into greater global impact remains a significant challenge. Only three Indian universities featured among Asia’s top 50 for Citations Per Paper, highlighting the gap between publication output and the international impact of academic research.
“India has built remarkable research capacity. The challenge now is to translate this strength more consistently into research impact and international recognition,” QS senior vice president Ben Sowter said in a statement. “Continued investment in research quality, international partnerships and global visibility will help sustain its progress.”
Employer reputation offered another positive signal. IIT Bombay ranked seventh and IIT Delhi 10th in Asia for employer reputation, making them the first Indian institutes to enter the indicator’s regional top 10.
QS also identified internationalisation as an area requiring attention, with Indian universities performing below the regional average on indicators covering international faculty, international students and student exchanges.
QS vice president-strategic and international engagement Ashwin Fernandes said the National Education Policy 2020 and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation provided a framework for the next stage of development.
“Deeper international research partnerships, more international faculty and students, and closer links with industry can help ensure that research produced on this scale achieves greater impact,” Fernandes added.
Regionally, the University of Hong Kong retained the top spot for a second consecutive year, while Peking University remained second. Tsinghua University climbed from ninth to third, giving China two universities in the top three.
