QS World University Rankings 2026: MIT ranks 1st, THIS college leads in India, check top performers & more
The QS World University Rankings, a global educational institution ranking system published annually by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), was released today, June 19, 2025. These rankings assess and compare universities across the globe on the basis of several indicators.
Here are a key takeaways from QS World University Rankings 2026 —
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been ranked as the best university in the world, securing a 100% academic reputation. Established in 1861, MIT is an independent, coeducational, privately endowed university organised into five schools, including subjects such as architecture and planning, engineering, humanities, arts, social sciences, management, science, and computing.
In terms of Indian colleges, the leading engineering college, the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D), has secured the 123rd rank in QS University Rankings 2026 with 67.9% in academic reputation. IIT Delhi stands first in the country.
Following IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay ranked 129th, IIT Madras stood at 180th rank, IIT Kharagpur is 215th, while Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) ranked 219th in QS University Rankings 2026.
Apart from MIT, here is a list of top Universities across the globe — Imperial College of London (2nd)
Stanford University, United States (3rd)
University of Oxford, United Kingdom(4th)
Harvard University, United States (5th)
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom (6th)
ETH Zurich, Switzerland (7th)
National University of Singapore (8th)
UCL, United Kingdom (9th)
California Institute of Technology, United States (10th)
One of the top universities of Malaysia, Sunway University, is the biggest climber in the QS University Ranking 2026. The institution rose over 120 places and currently stands at 410th rank.
The QS World University Ranking 2026 included more than 1,500 top universities across the world in over 100 locations, representing various regions of the globe.
Some of the important metrics used to assess the universities are research, employability, learning experience, global engagement and sustainability.
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