52 Indian universities enter QS 2027 rankings, up from 11 a decade ago; IIT Delhi leads

India’s presence in global university rankings has widened sharply over the past decade. The number of Indian institutions appearing in the QS World University Rankings has risen from 11 in 2015 to 52 in the 2027 edition, according to information shared by the government in the Lok Sabha.

The increase comes alongside a broader expansion of India’s higher education system and a push to improve how institutions perform across teaching, research and student outcomes. The government has also pointed to reforms introduced since 2015 as part of this shift.

More institutions are entering the ranking pool

One of the major changes has been the growing participation of Indian institutions in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

Introduced in 2015, NIRF assesses colleges and universities across areas such as teaching resources, research, graduation results, inclusivity and overall performance.

The pool of institutions participating in the framework has expanded considerably. Applications increased from 6,272 in 2021 to 14,163 in 2025, while the number of participating institutions rose from 4,030 to 7,692 over the same period.

Among the 52 Indian institutions appearing in the QS 2027 rankings, more than half improved their previous positions. Twenty-six moved up, nine remained at the same rank and 15 dropped. Two institutions featured in the rankings for the first time.

IIT Delhi leads India

IIT Delhi emerged as India's best-ranked institution in the latest QS list, moving up five spots to rank 118 globally.

IIT Bombay stood at 134, followed by IIT Madras at 170, IIT Kharagpur at 205 and IISc Bengaluru at 221.

The gains were not limited to the country's leading IITs. VIT made one of the biggest jumps, climbing 94 places to 597. BITS Pilani also advanced significantly, moving up 93 places to 575.

IIT Hyderabad and Jamia Millia Islamia were among the other institutions that recorded notable improvements.

What is driving the expansion?

The government has attributed the broader improvement to changes across higher education, including measures introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The policy has placed greater emphasis on multidisciplinary learning, research and innovation, critical thinking, infrastructure and faculty development.

Other initiatives highlighted by the Centre include the Institutions of Eminence programme, funding support for state universities through RUSA and PM-USHA, and continued investment in educational infrastructure.

The government also said 43 new premier institutions have been created since 2014. These include seven IITs, eight Central universities and nine IIMs.