QS World University Rankings '26: IIT-M in top 200, Anna University falls to 465
CHENNAI: The QS World University Rankings 2026, which was released on Thursday, presented a mixed bag of results for the state. While the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has made its debut in the top 200 in the rank list, securing 180th position, Anna University's ranking has slipped from 383rd position to 465th rank this year.
IIT Madras has made an impressive leap of 47 places from last year's 227th rank to 180th rank this year, while Anna University's rank dipping by 82 places has triggered concern among faculties of the varsity. Academicians and faculties have blamed the vacant vice chancellor (V-C) post as the main reason behind the drop in its performance.
'For one year, the V-C post has been lying vacant. If an institution is headless for such a long period, it will obviously have an impact on research work, faculty efficiency, quality of education and discipline on the campus,' said former V-C of Anna University, E Balagurusamy. Faculty members also seconded the opinion.
NIT Trichy's rank has also dropped from the 701-710 band to 731-740 bracket, while the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) has climbed up from 791-800 bracket to 691st rank. Notably, the University of Madras was ranked 526th in the QS World University Rankings 2024, however, the varsity, like last year, has failed to feature in the list this year too.
The rank list released by the London-based higher education analyst, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) features 1,500 institutions across the globe. Of this 54 institutions are from India, among which seven universities are from Tamil Nadu.
The other institutions from the state which have featured in the rank list are Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (901-950 rank bracket), SRM Institute of Science and Technology (1001-1200 rank band) and Sathyabhama Institute of Science and Technology (1201-1400).
Meanwhile, IIT Madras has attributed the rank improvement to its strong performance in key metrics such as academic reputation, employer perception, faculty-student ratio, international collaborations and sustainability initiatives.
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