IIT Delhi leads Indian universities in QS Rankings 2027; no Indian institution in world's top 100

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has secured the top spot among Indian institutions in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (QSWUR). The institute ranked 118th globally, improving by five places from its 123rd position in the previous rankings. However, no Indian institution managed to secure a place among the top 100 universities globally. 

The latest edition of the rankings, released on Thursday, shows that IIT Delhi has advanced by 79 places, improving from 197th position to 118th over a span of four years. 

How did IIT Delhi come out on top? 

The improvement was driven by stronger performances across several key parameters. IIT Delhi's standing in the Employer Reputation category climbed to 39th globally, reflecting greater recognition among employers regarding the quality and workplace readiness of its graduates. 

The institute also posted notable gains in the Employment Outcomes indicator, jumping 60 positions. The metric measures a university's ability to enhance graduate career prospects and produce alumni who create significant professional and societal impact. 

Research output remained another area of strength. IIT Delhi improved its position by 26 places in the Citations per Faculty metric, which assesses the research influence and academic impact of an institution through citations received by its faculty members. 

Ranking of Indian institutions improving rapidly  

The rankings published by QS Quacquarelli Symonds on Thursday, include 52 Indian institutions, placing India among the five most represented higher education systems globally. India's presence in the rankings has expanded sharply over the past decade, growing from just 14 universities in 2017 to 52 in 2027, a rise of 271%. This marks the fastest growth in representation among all G20 countries.  

The rankings show a mixed performance for Indian institutions. Of the universities featured this year, 26 improved their global standing, while nine retained their previous positions. Fifteen institutions slipped in the rankings, and two universities made their debut in the list. Notably, a majority of the Indian institutions that were already ranked registered an improvement in their performance compared with the previous edition. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the increasing number of Indian institutions in ranking. “Glad to see a record increase in the number of Indian universities in the QS Asia University Rankings over the last decade. Our Government is committed to ensuring quality education for our youth, with a focus on research and innovation. We are also building institutional capacities in this sector by enabling more educational institutions across India,” he wrote on X.  

Among India's top-performing institutions in the QS World University Rankings 2027, IIT Bombay secured the 134th position globally while IIT Madras was ranked 170th. IIT Kharagpur and IIT Kanpur followed at 205th and 221st positions, respectively. Among non-IIT institutions, the University of Delhi improved its standing to 322nd place worldwide while Jamia Millia Islamia was placed in the 686th position. 

No Indian institution has been in top 100 ever  

However, it is important to note that despite improvements by several Indian universities, no institution from the country secured a place among the world's top 100 universities in the QS World University Rankings ever.  

The upper echelons of the QS World University Rankings 2027 continue to be dominated by institutions from the United States and the United Kingdom.  

MIT retained the top position globally, followed by Imperial College London and Stanford University. Other universities in the top 10 include Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge, ETH Zurich, the National University of Singapore (NUS), University College London (UCL), and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).  

The rankings underscore the continued concentration of world-leading universities in advanced research ecosystems while also highlighting the growing prominence of Asian institutions such as NUS.