SYLLABUS
GS-2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Context: The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) has retained its position as India’s highest-ranked institution for the fifth consecutive year in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026.
More on the News
• The 2026 edition of the QS Asia University Rankings, released by global higher education analyst QS Quacquarelli Symonds, reveals a decline in ranks for most top Indian institutions, even as their overall performance improved.
• Of the top 10 Indian universities, including seven IITs, all but one slipped in position, while China, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore outperformed them.
• The report also highlights India’s expanding academic presence in Asia, marked by faculty qualifications and research productivity, but constrained by weak internationalisation.
Key Findings
Global Insights:
• The University of Hong Kong topped the 2026 Rankings, followed by Peking University, while Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) shared third place.
• The rankings show a strong eastward concentration of top performers across East and Southeast Asia, with China, Hong Kong, and Singapore dominating the top 10.
• Malaysia and South Korea climbed significantly in rankings due to increased investments in research collaboration and global engagement.
India’s Insights:
• India’s Growing Presence:
- India has become Asia’s second most represented higher educational system with 294 universities, up from 24 in 2016.
- China (mainland) remains first, with 395 universities in the 2026 edition.
- India’s representation growth reflects the impact of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, focusing on global engagement and research development.
• Performance of Top Indian Institutions: Despite greater representation, nine of the top ten Indian institutions, seven of them IITs, declined in their rankings due to intensified competition.
- IIT Delhi: 59th (down from 44th in 2025) – remains India’s top-ranked institute.
- IISc Bengaluru: 64th (down from 62nd).
- IIT Madras: 70th (down from 56th).
- IIT Bombay: 71st (down from 48th, sharpest fall of 23 ranks).
- IIT Kanpur and IIT Kharagpur: both 77th (down from 67th and 60th respectively).
- Delhi University: 95th (down from 81st).
- The only top-10 Indian institution to improve was Chandigarh University (109th), up from 120th.
• Strength in Research Output:
- Indian universities performed strongly in research productivity.
- Five Indian universities rank among Asia’s top 10 and 28 among the top 50 for Papers per Faculty.
- Shoolini University ranked first in Asia for Citations per Paper, and MAKAUT (West Bengal) ranked first in Asia for Papers per Faculty.
- India leads Asia in faculty with PhDs, with NIT Nagaland and Mother Teresa Women’s University ranked second in Asia, and nine others (including IISc and several IITs) sharing fourth position.
• Weakness in Internationalization:
- India scored below global averages in international faculty (18.9 vs ~31 globally), International Students, and Exchange Programs.
- Limited cross-border engagement and low diversity continue to restrict competitiveness compared to universities in Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
• Rise of Private Indian Universities: Private institutions such as Chandigarh University, BITS Pilani, Shoolini University, and O.P. Jindal Global University achieved their best-ever rankings in 2026.
About the QS Asia University Rankings 2026
• The 2026 rankings feature 1,529 institutions from 25 higher education systems, with 557 new entrants—making it the most extensive edition to date.
• Universities were assessed on 11 indicators, including: Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, Faculty–Student Ratio, Citations per Paper, Papers per Faculty, Staff with PhD, International Research Network, International Faculty, International Students, Inbound and Outbound Exchange Students.
• The Asia rankings use region-specific weightings, offering a tailored view of higher education priorities in the region, unlike the global QS rankings.
• The inclusion of hundreds of new institutions, especially from China and India, has intensified competition, leading to greater rank fluctuations.
• The QS Asia Rankings complement India’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) frameworks in assessing higher education performance through global benchmarks.
• QS Quacquarelli Symonds is a London-based global higher education analytics firm known for its internationally recognised ranking systems and analytical expertise.