QS World University Rankings 2026

India’s higher education institutions have achieved their best-ever performance in the QS World University Rankings 2026.

• A total of 54 universities are featured this year, including 12 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Eight universities have made their debut. India is now the fourth most represented country, after the United States, the United Kingdom and China.
• For the first time in eight years, IIT Delhi has emerged as the highest-ranked Indian institution in the QS 2026 rankings, overtaking IIT Bombay, which had held the top spot in six of the last ten editions.
• IIT Delhi now stands at 123rd rank globally, up from 150 last year, while IIT Bombay has dropped from 118 to 129.
• IIT Madras recorded one of the biggest jumps, rising 47 places from 227 in 2025 to 180 in 2026.
  A total of 12 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) feature in the list, highlighting their strong presence in global academia.
• With an overall score of 100, the US based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has topped the QS World University Rankings 2026. London’s Imperial College has come second followed by Stanford University (3rd) and University of Oxford (4th).