QS Asia University Rankings 2026: IIT Delhi remains best in India; 7 in top 100, 137 new entrants

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has retained the top spot in India in QS Asia University Rankings 2026. 294 Indian institutions ranked in this year’s QS Asia rankings with seven in top 100, 20 in the top 200 and 66 in the top 500.

Compared to last year, 36 universities improved their positions, 16 remained in the same spot, and 105 saw a drop in QS World University Rankings 2026 Asia.

India has scored the highest in ‘papers per faculty’ and ‘staff with PhD’ indicators. Five Indian universities have been placed in Asia’s top 10 and 28 in the top 50 for research productivity. 45 Indian institutions featured in Asia’s top 100 for staff with PhD.

West Bengal’s Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology is the top university in Asia for ‘Papers per Faculty’, followed by Bharathiar University, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Anna University, and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.

Also read THE World University Rankings 2026: IISc re-enters top 250; JMI, Saveetha rise sharply in India

In ‘Staff with PhD’, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Nagaland and Mother Teresa Women’s University share second place in India, while nine institutions obtained joint fourth position, including IISc, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Bhubaneswar, IIT Patna, IIT Ropar, IISER Bhopal, and the Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM).

Notably, 137 universities entered the QS rankings 2026, the highest number of debutants ever. Chandigarh University appeared at 109th, up from 120 last year; Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani rose to 154th this year, 40 places up in a span of five years; OP Jindal Global University secured a place in the top 200 for the first time, featuring at 163rd; while Lovely Professional University improved its position, ranking at 187th.

QS Asia University rankings 2026

A comparison of the rankings of Indian universities with the last year is given below.

Jessica Turner, CEO, QS Quacquarelli Symonds, said, “India’s higher education transformation is now visible in the data. In just five years since the National Education Policy launched, India has built system-level capacity that is globally relevant and locally empowering. The entry of over 130 Indian universities into this year’s Asia Rankings is a strong signal of depth as well as breadth. As research ecosystems mature and international partnerships scale, India is positioning itself not only as a study destination but as a global knowledge leader shaping innovation, inclusion and sustainable growth across Asia.”