🎓 IIT Delhi Tops India in QS World Rankings 2026
IIT Delhi has emerged as India’s top-ranked institution in the QS World University Rankings 2026, jumping an impressive 27 positions from last year to reach global rank 123. This is the highest rank ever achieved by the institute and marks its return to the top among Indian institutions after eight years.
In contrast, IIT Bombay, which had consistently led the rankings in previous editions, dropped to 129, a fall of 11 spots. Despite their movement, both IIT Delhi and Bombay remain among the top 150 globally.
According to QS Quacquarelli Symonds, IIT Delhi made significant gains in multiple metrics:
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Employer Reputation: +23 ranks
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Citations per Faculty: +40 ranks
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Employer Outcomes: +21 ranks
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Sustainability Score: +252 ranks
The jump in sustainability reflects improved data practices and the institute’s growing focus on sustainable development goals (SDGs).
“With enhanced funding under the Institution of Eminence status, we invested ₹200–300 crore in high-end equipment,” said Prof. Vivek Buwa, Dean (Planning), IIT Delhi. “Our international collaborations and strong publication record played a big role.”
🇮🇳 India’s Presence in QS Rankings Grows
India now ranks fourth globally in terms of the number of universities in the QS list — 54 in total, up from 46 last year. That’s a 390% increase from just 11 institutions in 2015.
Among these:
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IIT Madras jumped to 180 (up from 227)
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IISc Bangalore placed at 219
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Delhi University held steady at 328
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Anna University slipped to 465 (from 383)
India also added eight new institutions this year, including Ashoka University, Shiv Nadar University, and KIIT, many of which are private universities.
🌍 Global Top 5 in QS 2026
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
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Imperial College London
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Stanford University
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University of Oxford
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Harvard University
India continues to miss out on the global top 100, although IIT Bombay’s rank of 118 last year was the closest any Indian institution has reached.
📊 Metrics Where Indian Institutes Excel
While no Indian university featured in the top 100 for academic reputation, several scored high in specific metrics:
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IISc Bangalore: 15th globally for citations per faculty
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IIT BHU (Varanasi): 47th in citations
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IIT Bombay: 39th in employer reputation
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University of Delhi & Mumbai: In top 100 for employment outcomes
These results reflect improvements in research visibility and employment value of Indian graduates.