Only 2 Indian universities in top 50 in THE Impact Rankings 2025, 4 in top 100

India Today

18-06-2025

The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2025 are out, and while the world sees a clear shift towards Asia in university sustainability efforts, India's presence in the top tier remains modest.Out of 2,526 universities assessed across 130 countries for their work on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), only two Indian institutions made it to the top 50, and just four made it into the top 100.advertisementThis is despite the fact that a total of 135 Indian institutes made it to the THE Rankings this year.
India saw Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Rank 41) and Lovely Professional University (Rank 48) as its top performers. JSS Academy of Higher Education (Rank 48) and Shoolini University (Rank 48) also made it to the top 100. The rest of the Indian universities are scattered across ranks below 100.The Impact Rankings measure how universities around the world are tackling some of the biggest global problems -- from climate action and quality education to gender equality and decent work. The rankings are based on performance across various SDGs, looking at things like research, outreach, and campus operations.INDIA'S TOP PERFORMERSAmrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is India's top-ranked university this year, sitting at Rank 41 globally.advertisementIt ranked 5th for Quality Education (SDG 4), 6th for Clean Energy (SDG 7), and among the global top 100 in several others, including Gender Equality and Innovation.It also scored a perfect 100/100 in areas like lifelong learning, student access, and clean water sustainability.Lovely Professional University (LPU) has jumped into the top 50 for the first time with a global rank of 48.It's 5th globally for SDG 7, 6th for SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities), and 8th for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). With a total score of 92.6, it outranked several top global names like MIT and the IIMs in India.Shoolini University, with an overall global rank 96, also made a strong case by ranking 38 for SDG 13 (Climate Action), 21 for SDG 7, and 22 for SDG 6 (Clean Water). It placed in the top 100 globally for several other SDGs as well.Despite these achievements, only four Indian universities feature in the top 100, suggesting that many others have a long way to go when it comes to real-world sustainability impact.Here are the top Indian institutes (under global Rank 400) listed in the THE Impact Rankings 2025:Rank in IndiaGlobal RankUniversity NameLocation1=41Amrita Vishwa VidyapeethamTamil Nadu2=48Lovely Professional UniversityPunjab3=56JSS Academy of Higher Education and ResearchKarnataka4=96Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management SciencesHimachal Pradesh5101–200Anna UniversityTamil Nadu6101–200B. S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and TechnologyTamil Nadu7101–200KIIT UniversityOdisha8101–200Manipal Academy of Higher EducationKarnataka9201–300Nitte (Deemed to be University)Karnataka10301–400Centurion University of Technology and ManagementOdisha11301–400Chitkara UniversityPunjab12301–400Dr D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, PuneMaharashtra13301–400Indian Institute of Technology GandhinagarGujarat14301–400Manipal University JaipurRajasthan15301–400Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical SciencesTamil Nadu16301–400Shiv Nadar UniversityUttar Pradeshadvertisement(Note: The rankings as mentioned below are at time accompanied by '=' which indicates that the position is shared by other institutes. From Rank 100 onwards, THE provides rankings in batches of 100 or more)ASIAN UNIVERSITIES ON THE RISEWestern Sydney University (Australia) retained its number one spot globally for the fourth year in a row.But in a clear shift, Asian universities now dominate, claiming more than half the places in the global rankings. In fact, 22 of the top 50 ranks are now held by Asian institutions, and 10 of the 17 SDG categories have Asian universities at the top. Malaysia's Universiti Sains Malaysia alone leads in three SDGs, including No Poverty and Partnerships for the Goals.South Korea's Kyungpook National University has climbed to 3rd place globally.Meanwhile, Indonesia's Universitas Airlangga made a mark as the highest-ranking university from an emerging economy, standing at joint ninth, by pushing sustainability through initiatives like green transport and open public spaces.advertisementInstitutions like Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pusan National University, and Lingnan University (Hong Kong) have also made impressive strides.Here are the top 10 institutes listed in the THE Impact Rankings 2025 (overall rankings):RankUniversity NameLocation1Western Sydney UniversityAustralia2University of ManchesterUnited Kingdom3Kyungpook National University (KNU)South Korea=4Griffith UniversityAustralia=4University of TasmaniaAustralia=6Arizona State University (Tempe)United States=6Queen's UniversityCanada8University of AlbertaCanada=9Aalborg UniversityDenmark=9Universitas AirlanggaIndonesia(Note: The rankings as mentioned below are at time accompanied by '=' which indicates that the position is shared by other institutes.)Check the full THE Impact Rankings 2025 hereAs the push for sustainable education gains global momentum, Indian universities may need to rethink how they integrate SDGs into their policies and programmes — not just on paper, but on the ground too.