
IIT-D tops Indian institutions in QS university ranking
New Delhi: Several Delhi higher educational institutions are among the 54 Indian institutes to have secured spots in the QS World University Rankings 2026, which was released Thursday.
IIT Delhi
, which secured the 123rd position globally, led the way, making it not only the highest-ranked institute from Delhi, but from India as well. The institution's global ranking, which saw a significant jump from last year's 150th, marks its highest position ever in the rankings.
The QS World University Rankings 2026 assessed 8,467 institutions worldwide, with the top 1,501 making it to the final list. India, which had eight new entries this year, is the fourth most represented country globally.
Among the 54 Indian institutions in the list,
Delhi University
held the 328th position globally while
Jawaharlal Nehru University
was ranked 558th. The two universities were also among the top 20 from the country. Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Hamdard and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University also earned spots on the list.
Prof Vivek Buwa, head of the rankings cell and Dean of Planning at IIT Delhi, said, "These rankings allow us to introspect and identify areas that need further improvement.
With the combined efforts of all stakeholders, IIT Delhi steadily improved its rankings across several parameters and has strong potential to break into the top 100 global universities."
IIT Delhi performed particularly well across several indicators. It ranks among the top 50 global institutions in 'employer reputation' — a metric that assesses employers' perceptions of which institutions produce the most job-ready graduates.
The institute is also placed within the top 90 globally for 'citations per faculty', which measures the average number of citations per faculty member as an indicator of research impact and quality.
Additionally, IIT Delhi is ranked within the top 150 for 'academic reputation', which reflects global academic opinion on institutional excellence, and among the top 175 for sustainability.
At 328 globally, DU was the next highest-ranked institution from Delhi.
Vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh said the university advanced 14 places to 30 in 'employment outcomes' compared to last year. He stressed that DU holds the top spot among Indian institutions in this category and ranks seventh overall in India.
"The significant improvement in our overall score — from 33.8 to 42.6 — demonstrates the university's growing academic strength and expanding global reputation. With a global rank of 328, this score increase reflects the deepening quality, impact and reach of our institutional efforts.
Our faculty, researchers and students are leading this transformation, consistently producing innovation, high-impact research and fostering international collaborations," Singh added.
JNU is the only other Delhi-based university in the top 20 Indian institutions on the list. It moved up from last year's global rank of 580 to 558 and now holds the 13th position among Indian universities.
Jamia Millia Islamia advanced to the 761-770 bracket from last year's 851-900 range, placing it 24th in India. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University improved to the 951-1000 bracket from its earlier position of 1001-1200, now ranking 35th in India. Jamia Hamdard ranked 1401 globally and held the 53rd position in India.
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