Indian universities: global ranking, 2025
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QS World University Rankings, 2025 (i.e. 2024)
Hemali Chhapia, April 11, 2024: The Times of India
From: Hemali Chhapia, April 11, 2024: The Times of India
Mumbai: A total of 69 Indian universities have made it to the QS World University Rankings by Subject with 424 entries, a 19.4% rise from the previous year’s 355. Up to 72% of Indian entries this year are new to the list, or have shown improvement, or maintained their positions, whereas 18% experienced a decline. Among the highest ranked are JNU, IIT-Bombay and IIT-Madras.
In Asia, India is second on list of universities featured (69), behind China (101) and is fourth on ranked subject entries after China, Japan and South Korea. The most represented Indian universities are DU (30 entries), IIT-B (28) and IIT-Kharagpur (27).
India’s best universities, subject – wise
April 12, 2024: The Times of India
From: April 12, 2024: The Times of India
From: April 11, 2024: The Times of India
See graphic:
India’s best universities in 2024, subject – wise: 2
Eleven subjects taught at IIT-Bombay have been listed among the top 200 in the world – highest for an Indian university this year in the QS World Rankings.
Delhi University follows with 9 subjects in the list.
Details
Hemali Chhapia, April 11, 2024: The Times of India
Mumbai: India is now the world’s fourth-largest producer of research, generating 1.3 million academic papers in 2023-24, trailing only behind China (4.5m), US (4.4m), and UK (1.4m), according to the 2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject, compiled by QS Quacquarelli Symonds.
The agency offers a detailed analysis of over 16,400 university programmes from 1,500-plus universities in 95 countries. The rankings cover 56 academic disciplines and five faculty areas (arts and humanities, engineering and technology, life sciences, natural sciences and social sciences).
India’s overall performance showed a notable 17% year-on-year improvement. Jessica Turner, QS CEO, said: “One of the biggest challenges faced by India is educational — providing high-quality tertiary education in the face of exploding demand: this was recognised by 2020’s NEP (National Education Policy), which set the ambitious target of a 50% gross enrolment ratio by 2035. It should, therefore, provide some reassurance that the number of Indian programmes featuring across our 55 subject rankings and five broad faculty areas has increased — from 355 to 424.”
India’s highest-ranked university is JNU for development studies (20th globally, a new entry in this discipline); the next two are IIM-Ahmedabad, debuting in the 22nd position for business and management studies while Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (deemed to be university) secured the 24th spot globally in dentistry and is the only Indian university to achieve perfect score (100/100) in one of the QS indicators, namely the H Index.
Research-wise, India has achieved a 20% improvement in the citations per paper indicator, reflecting research capability. There has been 16% growth in the international research network indicator, which measures volume and diversity of research partnerships. There was a decrease of 5% in the index, which assesses balance between productivity and its impact.
The best universities
Hemali Chhapia, June 6, 2024: The Times of India
From: Hemali Chhapia, June 6, 2024: The Times of India
Mumbai:Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) jumped 31 spots to be placed at 118th in the world, as per the latest QS World University Rankings 2025. IIT-Delhi climbed 47 ranks to be at 150th.
India experienced the highest growth in university representation among all G20 nations, with a 318% increase from 11 varsities in the 2015 edition of QS World University Rankings to 46 in the 2025 edition. Most Indian universities have improved their rankings, with 61% rising, 24% maintaining their positions, and only 9% dropping.
On the global stage, MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology retained its top spot for the 13th consecutive year. Imperial College London surpassed both Oxford and Cambridge to become the highest-ranked UK institution, securing the second place globally. Oxford and Harvard remained at third and fourth place, respectively, while the University of Cambridge completed the top five.
Jessica Turner, QS chief executive, emphasised the importance of India’s National Education Policy in modernising its education system and preparing students for future challenges. She highlighted the significance of sustainability, global engagement, and employability in shaping India’s higher education landscape.
Additionally, India improved in research influence, as evidenced by its performance in the ‘Citations per Faculty’ indicator.
With a score of 37.8, India surpassed the global average of 23.5, securing the secondhighest position in Asia among higher education systems, only trailing behind China (Mainland).Thirteen Indian universities feature among the world’s top 200, including two in the top 15: Anna University (2nd globally) Indian Institute of Science (11th globally). India scores 39 for International Research Network.
However, India faces challenges in internationalisation, with low scores in the ‘International Faculty Ratio’ and ‘International Student Ratio’ indicators. The country also lags in the ‘Faculty/Student’ ratio. India’s ‘Employment Outcomes’ and ‘Sustainability’ scores are below the global average.
Delhi based universities
June 6, 2024: The Times of India
New Delhi: The Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings 2025 have brought a wave of celebration to Delhi’s academic community. Several institutes from the capital, including Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi University and IP University, have made remarkable improvements, showcasing their growing global competitiveness.
Leading the charge is IIT Delhi, which has climbed 47 places from last year to secure the 150th position globally. This reflects the institute’s enhanced academic and research output. Vivek Buwa, head, rankings cell, and dean, planning, IIT-D, said, “We are pleased that IIT Delhi has secured the QS World University ranking of 150. This is also the IIT Delhi’s highest-ever QS World University rank. I take this opportunity to congratulate all the faculty members, students, and staff for this significant achievement. With its faculty members and students pursuing high-quality research, innovation and technology development to solve problems relevant to industry and society at large, the institute has a strong potential to improve its rank further”.
The institute has been featured among the top 150 universities in parameters like “citations per faculty” (this ratio measures the average number of citations obtained per faculty member and is an estimate of the impact and quality of the scientific work produced by universities) and “academic reputation” (the reputation survey is designed to evaluate the perceptions of global academics on which institutions are demonstrating academic excellence).
Delhi University has also made significant strides, jumping 79 places from 407 to 328. Among Indian central universities, DU now holds the top spot. Besides, the university has advanced from ninth to seventh position nationally. Vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh lauded the achievement, attributing it to the dedicated efforts of the faculty members and students. DU has been ranked among the top 270 institutions worldwide in four key indicators—employment outcomes (44th), sustainability (220th), academic reputation (225th) and employer reputation (269th).
IP University made a notable debut in the QS rankings last year at the 1401+ position. This year, it has entered the 1,001-1,200 category, earning the “Rising Star” award from QS for the highest improvement among Indian institutions. The award was presented by Ben Sowter, senior vice-president of QS, at a summit in Washington DC.
The university’s chancellor and the lieutenant governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, and vice-chancellor Mahesh Verma expressed pride on this achievement. Verma highlighted the university’s inclusion among the top 500 global institutions for citations per faculty, indicating a significant improvement in both academic and employer reputation.
QS Asia University Rankings, 2025 (i.e. 2024)
Meghna Dhulia, Nov 12, 2024: The Times of India
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From: Meghna Dhulia, Nov 12, 2024: The Times of India
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From: Meghna Dhulia, Nov 12, 2024: The Times of India
New Delhi : IIT-Delhi has clinched top spot among Indian universities in the recently released 2025 QS Asia University Rankings. At 44th spot in the continent — up two places in one year — the Delhi institute has overtaken IIT-Bombay, which is at 48th, down eight places since the last evaluation. Six Indian universities are ranked among Asia’s top 100.
Key factors behind IITD’s ascent include impact of research conducted, enhanced academic reputation and a rising proportion of its faculty holding PhDs. “There’s a lot of emphasis on tech advancement, startups and solving problems that will help society,” said Prof Vivek Buwa, head of IIT-D’s ranking cell and dean of planning.
Research & global tie-ups key to driving IIT-D to top
Following IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay ranks second among Indian institutions, securing 48th place—though it dropped eight spots compared to the previous year. Several other Indian institutions also made notable appearances in the rankings, though many saw slight declines. IIT Madras fell from 53rd to 56th, IISc Bangalore dropped from 58th to 62nd, and IIT Kanpur slipped from 63rd to 67th from last time.
IIT Delhi's rise to the top rank in India can be attributed to significant improvements across several key metrics assessed by the QS Rankings. One of the standout factors driving this success was its performance in ‘citations per paper,’ a metric that gauges research impact by measuring the average number of citations each published paper receives.
‘Papers/publications per faculty’ is also a significant indicator in which the institute scored 95 out of 100. With a total strength of close to 640 regular faculty positions, the institute maintained an average of seven publications per faculty per year.
"We collaborate with both domestic and international companies, as well as govt labs in India," said Buwa. "Under the Institutions of Eminence initiative, over Rs 200 crore was allocated to establish state-of-the-art research infrastructure and equipment. We also used our own resources. These investments significantly boosted both the quality and quantity of our research output.”
Regarding the 'academic reputation' parameter, IIT Delhi scored 75.4 out of 100, reflecting strong performance across various sub-categories. One of the key areas where the institute excels is 'employment reputation,' where it achieved a score of 99 out of 100 among Asian universities. "We have a dedicat- ed office focused on attracting leading global companies to partner with us. Additionally, our alumni play a vital role in strengthening our reputation. We also scored 95 in the 'employer reputation' category, which further underscores our global standing.”
The institute actively seeks feedback from academics worldwide and takes strategic steps to enhance its global presence. "Our Abu Dhabi campus is an integral part of this vision. In Jan, we launched a master's programme there, and in Sept, we introduced two undergraduate programmes, both of which received a strong response," added the dean of planning.
In the ‘international research’ parameter, IIT Delhi achieved a score of 89 out of 100, a reflection of its extensive global collaborations. The institute is currently involved in nearly 116 research projects in partnership with universities around the world.
See also
Education: India (covers issues common to all categories of Education) <> Indian universities: national ranking <> Engineering education: India <> Higher Education: India <> Medical education and research: India <> Primary Education: India <> School education: India (covers issues common to Primary and Secondary Education) <> Secondary Education: India <>
South Asian universities: global ranking
Indian universities: global ranking
Indian universities: global ranking, 2024
Indian universities: global ranking, 2025
Indian universities: national ranking
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Indian universities: national ranking, 2018
Indian universities: national ranking, 2019
Indian universities: national ranking, 2025
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