IISc Bengaluru becomes first Indian institute ever to have secured spot in THE World University Rankings 2025 by subject

The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject 2025 have been released, with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru being the only Indian institution to secure a spot in the top 100 globally for computer science with 96th position.

According to the World University Rankings by subject, this is the first time an Indian university has achieved a position in the prestigious top 100 universities.

IISc ranked first among Indian universities in the 251-300 band of the ranking that was made public last year.

Delhi University (DU), ranked in the 301+ band, is the sole Indian university to secure a spot among the world’s top institutions for law and psychology.

Eleven categories—including business and economics, computer science, education studies, engineering, law, life sciences, medical and health, physical sciences, psychology, and social sciences—were included in the World University Rankings by Subject.

The 2025 World University Rankings show that Indian universities have made great strides in a number of areas.

In computer science, 53 Indian universities made it to the world’s top institutions, an increase from 47 in 2024, with IISc securing the 96th position.

The University of Cambridge and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) were next in line after Oxford University.

Amity University, KIIT University, UPES, and Delhi University were among the 401–500 bands of Indian universities that made it to the top universities ranking in business and economics, up from 15 in 2024.

Out of the 28 Indian universities listed, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences in Chennai was ranked in the top 251-300 band for medical and health-related subjects.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University (DU) moved up from the 501-600 band to the 401-500 band in the arts and humanities.

Jadavpur University in West Bengal made its debut in the rankings by landing in the 601+ band.

In the social sciences, 14 Indian universities continued to rank among the best in the world, continuing their success from the previous year.

Each of the 11 subject rankings was topped by Stanford University and MIT.

“While the western world continues to dominate the subject rankings, this new data release demonstrates the continued rise of China and East Asian nations in the global knowledge economy and a global leveling up of excellence,” said Phil Baty, THE’s chief global affairs officer.

Furthermore, the only universities listed in the top 10 for each of the report's 11 subjects are Stanford, Harvard, and Cambridge.

The United States is the most represented country for each subject in the report's overall study, and it also dominated the top 10 list for all subjects.