QS Asia Rankings 2026: India shines with record 294 institutions featured

India has recorded its strongest-ever performance in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026, with five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, and Delhi University securing positions among Asia’s top 100 universities.

The latest rankings, released on Nov 4 by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, reflect a sharp rise in India’s academic standing across the continent.

The top Indian performers in the rankings include IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IISc Bengaluru, and Delhi University.

IIT Delhi, placed 59th, was recognized as India’s best institution for the fifth consecutive year.

"Seven Indian institutions rank in the top 100 in the QS World University Asia rankings, 20 in the top 200, and 66 in the top 500," the London-based QS said in a statement.

The organization noted that 36 Indian institutes improved their ranks from the previous year, while 16 remained unchanged and 105 dropped.

It attributed some of the fluctuations to the expansion of the rankings this year, which introduced greater competition.

“Overall, 41 Indian institutions appear in the top 80th percentile of universities. India ranks best in Asia for staff with PhD,” the statement added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the strong performance as a reflection of India’s accelerating progress in higher education and research.

In a post on X, he said, “Glad to see a record increase in the number of Indian universities in the QS Asia University Rankings over the last decade.”

He emphasized that the achievement highlights the impact of ongoing educational reforms aimed at boosting institutional capacity, fostering innovation, and enhancing global competitiveness.

“Our government remains committed to driving innovation, expanding institutional capacity, and fostering an ecosystem in which Indian students and researchers can thrive globally,” he said.

India’s representation in the rankings has grown remarkably, from just 24 institutions in 2016 to 294 in 2026, including 137 first-time entrants.

The country also performed strongly in research indicators, emerging as Asia’s leader in papers per faculty and staff with PhDs.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal, achieved the top rank in Asia for research productivity.

This year also marked record performances for several universities, including Chandigarh University, BITS Pilani, Shoolini University, and OP Jindal Global University, each securing their highest-ever ranks.

The number of Indian institutions outperforming 90% of their Asian counterparts has risen from three in 2016 to 11 in 2026.

The 2026 rankings evaluated 1,529 universities from 25 countries, with 558 new entrants, making it the largest edition to date. Mainland China led the list with 395 ranked institutions, followed by India with 294.

The University of Hong Kong claimed the top spot in Asia, while Peking University ranked second, and Singapore’s NUS and NTU shared the third position.

The continued rise of Indian universities comes as the country marks five years of implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which promotes research-based learning, interdisciplinary education, and international collaboration.

Indian institutions widely credit the policy for enhancing their academic output and global standing.