QS World Rankings 2026: IIT Delhi Crowned India’s Best, Rises to 123rd Globally

Key ranking highlights

• IIT Delhi climbed 27 places year-on-year, earning top Indian honors with exceptional scores in:
• Employer Reputation: 50th globally
• Citations per Faculty: 86th
• Academic Reputation: 142nd
• IIT Bombay slipped to 129th, down from 118 last year, but retained strong reputational scores
• IIT Madras had one of the largest national improvements, jumping 47 places to 180th

🇮🇳 India’s expanding global presence

• Notably, eight of these are new entries, the highest number from any country — signaling strong institutional growth
• Other top Indian institutions include:
• IIT Kharagpur (≈215)
• IISc Bangalore (≈219)
• University of Delhi (≈328)

What this means

• Global recognition: IIT Delhi’s ascent reflects strengthened performance across employer engagement, faculty research, and citation impact.
• Higher education boom: India’s list expansion—up nearly 390% over a decade—underscores its ambition to align with global academic standards
• New QS metrics: The 2026 rankings include a new indicator for International Student Diversity, spotlighting the importance of global student integration