India's QS World University Rankings 2027: 52 Universities Listed, Non-IITs Show Strong Gains
NEW DELHI: India has achieved its strongest performance in the QS World University Rankings since the National Education Policy (NEP) was introduced in 2020, with 52 institutions now featuring on the list — the fifth-largest national contingent globally.
The 2027 rankings, released today, show a broadening of improvement beyond the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). While the IITs remain prominent, 13 of the 18 institutions that attained their highest-ever rankings are non-IITs, indicating a more distributed growth across private, state, and central universities.
IIT-Delhi climbed five places to 118th, equalling the highest rank ever achieved by an Indian institution — first reached by IIT-Bombay in 2026. IIT-Bombay slipped five places to 134th, IIT-Madras rose to 170th, and IIT-Kharagpur moved up to 205th. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, was ranked 221st globally.
Overall, 26 Indian universities improved their positions, nine remained unchanged, 15 declined, and two entered the rankings for the first time. India’s improvement rate of 52% places it among the strongest-performing higher education systems worldwide.
The largest gains came from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), which jumped 94 places to 597th, and BITS Pilani, which climbed 93 places to 575th. IIT-Hyderabad rose 76 places, Jamia Millia Islamia advanced more than 75 places to 686th, and Shoolini University climbed 51 places to 452nd, entering India’s top 10 universities.
India’s strongest performance continues to stem from research impact and employer recognition. Eleven institutions feature among the world’s top 100 for citations per faculty, led by IISc at 21st and IIT-Roorkee at 50th. Six are in the global top 100 for employer reputation, with IIT-Bombay leading India at 32nd. The University of Mumbai jumped 70 places to rank 25th for employment outcomes.
Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the top spot for the 15th consecutive year, followed jointly by Imperial College London and Stanford University.
Education analysts attribute India's improved showing to policy reforms under NEP 2020, which encouraged research output, international collaborations, and institutional autonomy. The rise of non-IIT institutions signals a diversifying higher education landscape, with state and private universities investing in quality improvements.
