QS World University Rankings 2026

QS World University Rankings 2026

Why in News? 

Recently, India achieved its highest-ever representation in the QS World University Rankings 2026. The latest rankings highlight the growing international standing of Indian institutions.

Key Highlights of QS World University Rankings 2026

• • Data: 
    • The 2026 edition of QS Rankings is based on rigorous evaluations involving over 16 million research papers, feedback from more than 151,000 academics, and insights from 100,000 global employers. 
    • Over 1,500 universities from 106 different countries are assessed in the rankings.
  • Top Most Countries:
    • 1st position: United States (192).
    • 2nd position: United Kingdom (90)
    • 3rd position: Mainland China (72)
    • 4th position: India (54)

• Top 5 Global Universities:

• • • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – United States
    • Imperial College London – United Kingdom
    • Stanford University – United States
    • University of Oxford – United Kingdom
    • Harvard University – United States

• Top Performing Indian Universities:

• • Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) – Ranked 123 (improved from 150 in 2025).
  • Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) – Ranked 129 (previously 118 in 2025).
  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) – Jumped to 180 from 227 in 2025.
  • Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT KGP) – Ranked 215, improving from 222.
  • Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore – Secured 219, slightly down from 211 last year.
• India’s Performance:
  • In 2015, only 11 Indian institutions had found a place in the QS Rankings. 
  • In the 2026 list, India now has 54 universities featured—almost five times more than a decade ago.
  • Among these 54, a total of 12 are Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
  • Nearly half of India’s listed institutions moved up in rank compared to the previous year.
  • This year, eight Indian universities appeared in the global rankings for the first time.
  • Five Indian institutions earned positions among the world’s top 100 for Employer Reputation.

What is QS World University Ranking?

• Introduction:

• • • The QS World University Ranking is a widely respected and globally recognized system that evaluates and ranks universities based on various academic indicators. 
    • It provides an annual comparative analysis of higher education institutions across the world. 
    • The ranking is particularly useful for students planning to pursue higher studies abroad, as it gives insights into where universities stand globally.

• Publication:

• • • The QS rankings are published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a British company that specializes in education and study-abroad services.
    • The first edition was released in 2004, and it has been published annually ever since. 
    • QS other Rankings: 
      • QS Asia Rankings
      • QS Subject Rankings
      • QS Graduate Employability Rankings

• Parameters:

• • • The QS ranking evaluates universities using six main indicators:

• Research and Discovery (50%): This broad category is primarily driven by two core indicators: Academic Reputation (30%) and Citations per Faculty (20%). The sheer scale—over 151,000 responses globally in recent editions—ensures a wide and diverse representation.

• • • • Employability and Outcomes (20%); This segment reflects how well universities prepare students for successful careers in the real world. It is measured using:
        • Employer Reputation (15%)
        • Employment Outcomes (5%) 
      • Global Engagement (15%): This factor assesses how well institutions are integrated into the international academic community.

• International Faculty Ratio (5%)

• International Research Network (5%)

• International Student Ratio (5%)

• • • • Learning Experience (10%): This is a direct measure of teaching capacity. A lower student-to-faculty ratio generally leads to more personalized education and better academic support.
      • Sustainability (5%): It includes green practices, sustainability research, and community impact, ensuring that education aligns with global sustainable development goals (SDGs).

• Methodology:

• • • QS follows a data-driven approach, combining quantitative data with global surveys. 
    • Academic and employer reputation scores are derived through annual surveys, while the other metrics rely on databases like Elsevier Scopus for citation tracking.
    • The combination of indicators is weighted, and each university receives a cumulative score that determines its global rank.
    • QS ensures data accuracy by working directly with institutions and verifying submitted information. 
    • In 2023, QS added sustainability as a supplementary metric in some of its regional evaluations to align with changing global academic priorities.

• Benefits:

• • Students use the rankings to choose universities that match their academic and career goals.
  • Universities benchmark their performance and strategize improvements based on their position and peer comparisons.
  • Employers reference QS rankings to assess the value of degrees from different institutions.
  • Governments and policy-makers use them to evaluate national education systems and shape higher education strategies.

Why has India’s Performance Improved in this Ranking?

• Research and Innovation Ecosystem:

• • • India’s research infrastructure has gradually become more robust, albeit still facing challenges. 
    • India ranks 39th out of 133 nations in the Global Innovation Index 2024, showing a gradual rise in research strength.
    • The increasing number of internationally collaborative research papers from Indian universities helped boost the International Research Network (IRN) indicator in QS rankings.

• National Education Policy 2020:

• • The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 started a major transformation in India’s higher education landscape.
  • Key initiatives under NEP include:

• Establishing Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERUs).
• Promoting National Research Foundation (NRF).
• Facilitating credit transfer systems to align with international universities.

• Role of Flagship Institutions:

• • Institutions like IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, and IISc Bangalore have taken conscious steps to raise their global academic profile. These include:

• Creating international branches or global campuses.
• Universities are now offering joint degree programs with institutions in countries like the US, UK, and Australia.

• Government Schemes:

• • Various government-driven programs supported university-level transformation:

• SPARC (Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration), which enabled over 400 joint research proposals with global institutions.
• IMPRINT (Impacting Research Innovation and Technology), targeting problem-solving research in national priority areas.
• RUSA (Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan) improved access and equity across universities in tier-II and III cities.

Challenges and Solutions in Strengthening India’s Global Academic Standing

• • Challenges:
    • Limited R&D Ecosystem: As per the Department of Science and Technology, India’s R&D investment was just 0.64% of GDP in 2020–21, while countries like Israel and South Korea allocated over 4% of their GDP to research and development. Low R&D investment directly impacts research output, lab infrastructure, faculty support.

• Industry-Academia Disconnection: Many universities remain isolated from real-world applications. As per a 2021 report by the Ministry of Education, less than 10% of Indian higher education institutions have active industry-linked research programs. This hinders employability and relevance of education to the job market.

• Global Talent Competition: India continues to experience significant brain drain, especially among top-performing students and researchers. As per UNESCO Institute of Statistics, over 5.5 lakh Indian students were studying abroad in 2023, while India hosted fewer than 50,000 international students. 

• Solutions:
  • India must establish a dedicated National R&D Corpus, with an annual increase in public funding for research. The government should aim to push R&D investment to at least 1.5% of GDP by 2030, as recommended by NITI Aayog. 
  • In parallel, private sector incentives should be introduced—such as tax benefits, co-funded grants, and patent protection support—to enhance corporate participation in research.
  • To bridge Industry-Academia Disconnection gap, each university must be required to establish an Industry Interface Cell. These should facilitate internships, collaborative research, joint patent filings.
  • India must strengthen its talent retention ecosystem, this involves offering globally competitive research grants. The establishment of Centers of Excellence with world-class facilities can attract Indian scholars working abroad.
  • The VAJRA scheme should be expanded to bring international scholars to Indian campuses for teaching and research.