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IIT Delhi, Bombay ranked at top 150 in QS World University Rankings 2026, MIT remains at top
In the latest edition of the QS World University Ranking released early Thursday morning, around 50 per cent of Indian universities' ranking has improved from last year, with IIT Delhi gaining the top spot in India. Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the 'best institute in the world' position for the 14th time this year.
This year, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) has climbed from 150 in 2025 to 123 in the 2026 rankings.
IIT Delhi has climbed more than 70 places in two years, ranking at 123rd this year compared with 197th in 2024 and 150 in 2025. IIT Bombay, which was ranked at first in the 2025 rankings, is placed at the second position in QS World University rankings among the Indian institutes. It is ranked at 129th globally this year. Last year, it was ranked at 118th.
IIT Madras has achieved the third spot in India followed by IIT Kharagpur and IISc Bangalore in the fourth and fifth ranks. University of Delhi is ranked at 328th rank this year. Last year, the central university made the biggest improvement by jumping 79 ranks — from 407 in 2024 to 328 in 2025.
One of the biggest improvements has been made by the IIT Madras which jumped from 227 in 2025 QS World University Rankings to 180 in 2026 – a jump of 47 ranks.
(Source: QS Quacquarelli Symonds)
India's top two highest-ranking institutions perform better than more than 91% of institutions featuring in the QS World University Rankings 2026. IITD has climbed more than 70 places in two years, ranking at =123rd this year compared with 197th in 2024. This has been due to outstanding results in Employer Reputation (where it now ranks 50th), Citations (86th), Sustainability (172nd), and Academic Reputation (142nd).
With eight new institutions added to the ranking this year, India now has 54 institutions included, making it the fourth most represented country behind only the US (192 institutions), the UK (90 institutions) and Mainland China (72 institutions). No other country or territory has seen as many universities added to the ranking this year. Jordan and Azerbaijan are second-most improved and have both seen six added in 2026.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retains its top position for the 14th consecutive year. It is followed by Imperial College London in second place and Stanford University in third. The United States continues to be the most represented country, with 192 universities featured in the rankings, and sees more of its institutions rise in rank than fall in this edition.
Germany also experiences a positive shift, with more universities improving their positions than declining, reversing a recent downward trend. Italy makes a historic breakthrough, entering the global top 100 for the first time as Politecnico di Milano secures the 98th position.
China continues its upward trajectory in global education rankings. Peking University maintains its 14th place, while Tsinghua University rises to 17th, and Fudan University makes a significant leap of nine places to rank 30th — highlighting the country's strong research-led momentum.
Hong Kong SAR is recognised as the world's second most improved higher education system in this edition among countries with five or more ranked universities, with only Ireland showing greater improvement.
Over 1,500 universities are included in the 2026 edition of the QS World University Rankings, with over 100 locations represented around the world. To be eligible for the inclusion in the World University Rankings in 2026, institutions in the following regions – Arab Region, Asia, Europe, Latin America and Caribbean were needed to be ranked in their respective region's ranking. This has changed from the previous requirement for an institution to be ranked in the top 50 per cent in their regional ranking.
For the 2026 World University Rankings, International Student Diversity (ISD) is introduced as an unweighted indicator. The International Student Diversity indicator looks at the ratio of international students to overall students as well as the diversity of nationalities that those students are from.
