On 4th November, the global higher education analysts “QS Quacquarelli Symonds” published the “QS World University Rankings” regarding Asian educational institutions. Notably, the proportion of Indian institutions in it has climbed by 1,125% in 10 years, from 24 in 2016 to 294 institutions in the QS Asia index.
There are seven Indian universities ranked in the top 100, twenty in the top 200 and sixty-six in the top 500. IIT Delhi, which is placed jointly at 59th position continues to be the top university in India for the fifth consecutive year. 19 Indian universities, including Chandigarh University, BITS Pilani, Shoolini University and OP Jindal Global University, achieved their best-ever rankings. Sathyamaba Institute of Science and Technology improved the most, moving up 111 spots to 262nd place.
Globally, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of the USA tops the list, followed by Imperial College London of the UK and Stanford University of the USA. Oxford and Harvard are listed at 4th and 5th. National University of Singapore (NUS) is the only institution from Asia in top 10.
The top 10 Indian Institutions in the list are:
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD)
- Indian Institute of Science
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM)
- Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB)
- Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK)
- Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP)
- University of Delhi
- Chandigarh University
- Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR)
- Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG)
The landmark achievement was also recognized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who added that the government is committed to ensuring quality education for the youth with emphasis on research and innovation. “We are also building institutional capacities in this sector by enabling more educational institutions across India,” he remarked.
Glad to see a record increase in the number of Indian universities in the QS Asia University Rankings over the last decade. Our Government is committed to ensuring quality education for our youth, with a focus on research and innovation. We are also building institutional…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 4, 2025
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology in West Bengal has been ranked first in Asia for research output (Papers per Faculty) as India leads the continent in research productivity (Papers per Faculty) and PhD Staff with 11 institutions in the top 23. India dominates the Papers per Faculty Indicator with 28 universities in the top 50 and 5 in Asia’s top 10.
Employer reputation has also significantly improved at 36 Indian universities, including IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati, and IIT Roorkee. 105 Indian institutes declined, 16 stayed the same and 36 improved. “The expansion of the rankings is associated with the greater volatility observed in this year’s results. Overall, 41 Indian institutions appear in the top 80th percentile of universities. India ranks best in Asia for staff with PhD,” the company stated in an official statement.
India’s National Education Policy (NEP) and its growing research and innovation environment has been credited for the stunning growth, which surpasses that of all other Asian countries.
Matteo Quacquarelli comments on India’s successes
The incredible accomplishment was also praised by Matteo Quacquarelli who is Vice President, Strategy & Analytics at QS Quacquarelli Symonds. He stated that a decade of change in research productivity, creativity and institutional capability is reflected in the nation’s impressive ascent in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026.
Matteo mentioned that India’s ranking has improved tenfold over the last 10 years, indicating the nation’s increasing contribution to Asia’s higher education scene. He also outlined that the country’s performance highlights its expanding research ecosystem and attributed this to the National Educational Policy of the Modi government.
“India’s remarkable rise in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026 reflects a decade of transformation in research productivity, innovation, and institutional capacity. As India marks five years since the launch of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, its impact is becoming increasingly evident,” Mattteo pointed out.
He further conveyed, “India dominates the Papers per Faculty indicator, a sign of strengthening research output. At QS, we remain committed to providing trusted data and insights that empower universities, policymakers, and students to navigate this evolving higher education landscape.”
Intererstingly, only three Indian institutions performed better than 90% of their Asian counterparts ten years ago but the number had increased to eleven by 2026.
What are QS Asia University Rankings
The British company Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a higher education analytics company, created the QS World University Rankings, a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings.
Three components make up the QS system: a global overall ranking, five separate regional tables (Asia, Latin America, Emerging Europe and Central Asia, the Arab Region, and BRICS) and subject rankings that determine the top universities worldwide for 51 different subjects as well as five composite faculty areas.
It is one of the most prominent international rankings that evaluates the standing and effectiveness of universities across the globe and a premier source of comparative institutional performance evaluations for students and university partners worldwide.
For Asia, it uses an approach that is similar to its global rankings but modified for the continent. It assesses institutions according to criteria like internationalisation, instructional resources, research and academic prestige. The results are produced with some extra indicators and modified weightings as well as regional interests are taken into account.
However, it continues to incorporates measures like citations per faculty, faculty/student ratio and employer reputation. Developed in collaboration with regional experts and stakeholders, this collection of criteria is intended to represent important concerns for Asian institutions, utilising as much data as feasible.
They are based on eleven indicators including academic reputation (30%), employer reputation (20%), faculty/student ratio (10%), international research network (10%), citations per publication (10%) and papers per professor (5%), PhD-holding staff (5%), international faculty (2.5%), foreign students (2.5%), incoming exchange students (2.5%) and outbound exchange students (2.5%).
Significance of the rankings
Numerous variables are taken into consideration while calculating the rankings, one of which is academic reputation. It provides an indication of a university’s degree of respect in the international academic community and helps a student in making an informed choice about their future institution.
The higher rankings illustrate the country as a center of quality education, thus not only obtaining international recognition but also stimulating its education tourism.
The impact of studying abroad on cultural experience, support network and visa prospects can be determined by analysing the foreign faculty to student ratio and international research partnerships. Employer reputation and graduation results are important measures of how successfully a university prepares its pupils for the workforce whether through internships or career services.
Rankings like citations per faculty and research network show a university’s influence in the international research community for those pursuing postgraduate studies or research. The sustainability indicator is for students looking for top-notch, environmentally conscientious universities.
Likewise, it aids educators in making informed decisions about their careers by offering them the best options to shape their professional paths. Moreover, the rankings underscores the improvements and efforts made in enhancing the education and research network while also identifying underperformers and providing them with an opportunity to perform better.
There are 1,526 universities including 557 new ones from 25 higher education systems in the 17th edition of the QS Asian University Rankings, including 558 entrants. India included 137 institutions, bringing its total to 294 which is the second-highest while China (Mainland) added 261 institutions to reach 395 and restored its status as the most represented system, after two years. Meanwhile, the University of Hong Kong is ranked as the best university in Asia.
Importantly, India’s representation rose from 24 universities in 2016 to 294 in 2026, a staggering 1,125% growth while China’s increase was 273%.
