QS World University Rankings 2026 Released

On 20th June 2025, British company Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released the World University Rankings 2026, marking a milestone for Indian higher education as nearly half of the listed Indian institutions improved their positions, with IIT Delhi emerging as India’s top-ranked institute.

Key Points

IIT Delhi Rises: IIT Delhi secured the 123rd position globally, up from 150 last year, becoming the highest-ranked Indian institution in QS 2026 rankings.
Strong Reputation Scores: IIT Delhi ranked 50th globally in Employer Reputation, 86th in Citations per Faculty, and 142nd in Academic Reputation.
IIT Bombay and Madras: IIT Bombay dropped to 129th (from 118 in 2025), while IIT Madras made a significant jump to 180th from 227th.
Top 100 Performance: Five Indian universities ranked among the global top 100 for Employer Reputation, and eight made the top 100 in Citations per Faculty.
India’s Expanding Presence: India now has 54 universities in the list, becoming the fourth most represented country after the US, UK, and Mainland China.
Private Sector Progress: BITS Pilani (668) and OP Jindal Global University (851–900) maintained or improved their rankings, highlighting the private sector's rise.