New Delhi: India has marked a new high in global higher education rankings with 54 institutions featuring in the QS World University Rankings 2026, its best performance so far. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan hailed the milestone as a moment of “immense pride” and credited the surge to the transformative impact of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and educational reforms under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
“With a record 54 higher education institutions (HEIs) featured among the world’s best, India has reached a new milestone in the QS World University Rankings 2026. From just 11 institutions in 2014 to 54 now, this nearly five-fold increase reflects the transformative educational reforms initiated under Prime Minister @narendramodi ji’s leadership,” Pradhan said in a post on X on Thursday. He further stated, “The NEP is not merely transforming but revolutionising our education landscape. It is a matter of immense pride that India is now the fastest-growing education system among G20 countries and the fourth most represented in the QS rankings — behind only the US, UK, and China.”
The Ministry of Education echoed the sentiment in a post on X, highlighting that IIT Delhi has emerged as India’s top-ranked institution, climbing to 123rd globally from 150th last year, its best-ever position. "IIT Delhi leads the charge as India’s top-ranked institute. This marks a historic high for the institution in QS rankings. India's higher education institutions are witnessing an unprecedented rise globally, with more universities than ever making their mark," the Ministry posted.
Other institutions that made notable gains include IIT Madras, which jumped 47 places to rank 180th globally, while IIT Bombay, last year’s leader, slipped to 129th from 118th. IIT Kharagpur and IISc Bangalore secured the 215th and 219th spots respectively, and Delhi University was ranked 328th. For the first time, eight Indian institutions entered the QS rankings, the highest number of new entries from any country this year, pushing India’s representation to fourth place worldwide.
Nearly half of India’s ranked universities improved their positions this year, with five institutions securing places among the global top 100 for Employer Reputation. The Ministry noted that India’s representation in the QS rankings has grown by an impressive 390 per cent over the last decade, the fastest among G20 nations.
Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the top position for the 14th consecutive year. Indian private institutions like BITS Pilani (668) and OP Jindal Global University (851–900) were also featured, reflecting the expanding global recognition of India’s diverse higher education sector.
BI Bureau
