QS World University Rankings 2026: IIT Delhi Tops Among Indian Institutes; MIT Secures Global 1st Spot.
International
In June 2025, the QS World University Rankings 2026 were released by London-based global education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) emerged as the highest-ranked Indian university, marking a major milestone in international academic benchmarking.
- IIT Delhi secured the 123rd global rank in the QS World University Rankings 2026, making it the highest-ranked Indian institution on the list. It jumped an impressive 70 spots from 197th in 2024 to 123rd in 2026, outperforming all other Indian universities. The institute earned an overall score of 65.5.
- IIT Delhi’s upward movement is attributed to high scores in Employer Reputation (50th), Citations per Faculty (86th), Academic Reputation (142nd), and Sustainability (172nd). This shows its consistent focus on global research impact, employability, and environmental goals.
- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topped the global QS rankings for the 14th time, maintaining its position with a perfect score of 100. It was followed by Imperial College London (99.2) and Stanford University, USA (98.9), ranking 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Main Point :- (i) India had 54 universities in the rankings, including 11 IITs, making it the 4th most represented country after the USA (192 universities), UK (90), and Mainland China (72). This reflects India’s growing global stature in higher education.
(ii) Apart from IIT Delhi, other prominent entries from India include IIT Bombay (IIT-B) and IIT Madras (IIT-M). These IITs continue to feature among the top 200 universities globally, showcasing India’s technological and research leadership.
(iii) IIT Delhi’s placement alongside globally reputed institutions such as the Georgia Institute of Technology (USA) signifies India’s improving academic footprint on the global map. The rankings reaffirm the country’s progress in higher education quality, research excellence, and internationalization.
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