Indian Institute of Sciences Experiences Decline in QS World University Rankings by Subject

The latest edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject has brought mixed results for the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), with several of its programs witnessing significant declines compared to the previous year.

India’s prestigious Institute of Eminence saw its chemistry program plummet 31 places, from 77th to 108th. Similarly, the physics and astronomy program slipped to 134th from 110th, and the mathematics program dropped by 18 spots, ending up at 134th from 116th in 2023.

Out of the 18 entries from IISc, only three programs saw an improvement in rankings, while 11 experienced declines. QS officials, however, stress that these drops do not necessarily reflect a deterioration in academic excellence. Instead, they attribute the decline to a drop in the institute's H-index, a measure of the productivity and impact of research conducted by scholars and scientists.

“The slight shifts observed in the IISc’s standings in certain subjects do not necessarily signify a deterioration in academic excellence. Rather, they reflect the evolving landscape of global education, where other institutions may be advancing at a faster pace in specific metrics,” QS stated in response to queries.

Efforts to obtain a comment from IISc via email and phone remained unanswered at the time of reporting.

Meanwhile, the overall rankings indicate positive trends for Indian higher educational institutions, with many showing improved ranks or remaining stable from the previous year. A total of 69 Indian universities made it to the rankings with 424 entries, marking a notable 19.4% increase from the previous year's 355 entries.

University of Delhi showcased improvement in 12 subjects out of 30, including anthropology, developmental studies, and environmental sciences. Notably, IIT Bombay's chemistry program entered the global top-100, securing the 94th rank, up from the previous year's 116th spot. Overall, IIT Bombay demonstrated improvement in 17 out of its 28 entries this year.

Other prominent Indian universities featured in the rankings include IIT Kharagpur with 27 entries, IIT Madras with 22 entries, and IIT Delhi with 19 entries. The Computer Science Engineering program at IIT Delhi rose to the 63rd rank from the previous year's 67th position.

A newcomer to the scene, Jawaharlal Nehru University's development studies program emerged as the highest-ranked in India. However, the sociology program at JNU witnessed a decline from 68th to 91st spot this year. O P Jindal Global University made notable progress, ascending to the 74th position globally in law from the previous 84th position.