QS World University Rankings 2026: IIT Delhi climbs to 123rd spot, 8 new entrants

Around 54 universities from India have been listed in the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi securing 123rd spot among 1,500 higher educational institutions across the world.

Notably, with eight new entries from India, there has been a 390% increase in the university rankings of the country in the last 10 years, becoming G20’s fastest-growing higher education system, according to the official statement.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took to his social media handle and expressed joy over the QS World University Rankings 2026 data, which revealed that India has become the fourth most represented country and the fastest growing education system among G20 nations.

"With a record 54 HEIs featuring among the global best, India hits a new high in the QS World University 2026 Rankings. From just 11 universities in 2014 to 54 in the latest rankings, this five-fold jump is a testament to the transformative educational reforms ushered by PM @narendramodi ji’s govt. in the last decade. NEP 2020 is not just changing our educational landscape, it is revolutionising it," Pradhan wrote on his X official account.

In 2024, the QS world University Rankings of IIT Delhi stood at 150th position and it jumped around 30 places in the latest edition by obtaining the 123rd spot in its latest edition. University of Mumbai has also bagged 664th position in the global rankings, 17th amongst Indian universities and 2nd in Maharashtra.

Jessica Turner, CEO of QS, said: "India is rewriting the global higher education map. No other country has seen more universities debut in this edition of the QS World University Rankings — a clear sign of a system evolving at speed and scale." "The National Education Policy 2020 has sought to promote India as a global study destination and restore its role as a Vishwa Guru. The government also recognises the value of attracting international students and has introduced an ‘internationalisation at home’ agenda to advance this ambition."

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Factors effecting QS World University Ranking

The improvement in the rankings as per the QS World University Rankings of IIT Delhi in 2026 is the result of outstanding performance in employer reputation (where it now ranks 50th), citations (86th), sustainability (172nd), and academic reputation (142nd), according to the official notice.

Similarly, other educational institutions in India that are among the QS World University Rankings 2026 also includes IITs from Bombay, Madras, Kharagpur, Bangalore, Kanpur, Guwahati, and Roorkee.

Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, University of Delhi, Bombay and Anna University are also part of the QS world rankings.

London-based global higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds has published the QS World University Rankings list 2026. The rankings are done on the basis of a variety of performance indications including academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, research impact, international student diversity and graduate employability.

According to the official notice, India is now the fourth most represented country after the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and Mainland China.

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QS World University Rankings 2026: Top 10 Indian colleges

Here is the list of top 10 Indian universities among the 54 other institutions in the QS World University Rankings 2026.