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Record 54 Indian Institutes In QS Rankings 2026; IIT Delhi Tops National List
In a significant leap for Indian higher education, the QS World University Rankings 2026, released early this morning, saw nearly half of the listed Indian institutions improve their positions, with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) emerging as India's top-ranked institute. The global list continues to be led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), marking its 14th consecutive year at the top.
IIT Delhi emerges as India's top-ranked university
IIT Delhi surged ahead of its peers this year, securing the 123rd position globally, up from 150 in 2025 and 197 in 2024. This makes it the highest-ranked Indian institution in the QS 2026 rankings. The institute recorded strong performance across several key metrics: it ranked 50th worldwide in Employer Reputation, 86th in Citations per Faculty, and 142nd in Academic Reputation.
Following closely, IIT Bombay, which was the top Indian institute in last year's rankings, dropped to the 129th position this year from 118 in 2025. IIT Madras recorded one of the most impressive improvements among Indian institutions, jumping 47 places to secure the 180th spot, up from 227 in 2025.
India's expanding global footprint in higher education
This year, India has 54 universities featured, making it the fourth most represented country globally-trailing only the United States, the United Kingdom, and Mainland China. Eight Indian institutions entered the list for the first time, the highest number of new entries from any country, reflecting India's growing academic visibility on the global stage.
Other premier Indian institutes include IIT Kharagpur (215), IISc Bangalore (219), and Delhi University (328). Private institutions such as BITS Pilani (668) and OP Jindal Global University (851-900) have also either maintained or improved their positions.
Global Rankings: MIT maintains the lead, Asian universities climb
Globally, MIT continues its dominance, followed by Imperial College London in second place and Stanford University in third. The United States remains the most represented country, with 192 institutions-many of which have improved their rankings this year.
Asia's strong performance continued, with Peking University holding steady at 14th, Tsinghua University rising to 17th, and Fudan University jumping nine places to reach 30th. Hong Kong SAR and Ireland were recognised among the most improved education systems.
Europe also showed a positive outcome-particularly Italy, where Politecnico di Milano entered the global top 100 for the first time, ranking 98th.
Ranking Methodology: New Focus on student diversity
This edition of the rankings included over 1,500 universities from more than 100 locations. A notable addition this year is the International Student Diversity (ISD) metric, introduced as an unweighted indicator. It captures both the proportion and national spread of international students-a step toward recognising globally inclusive campus environments.
