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India’s QS rankings surge shows promise—but does it reflect real reform, or just elite excellence in a still-uneven higher education system?
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A total of 54 Indian higher education institutions (HEIs) featured in the 2026 edition of the globally recognised Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings, with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi achieving the country’s highest-ever rank at 123rd place. The country was the fourth most represented, surpassed only by the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and China. In his remarks, India’s Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, pointed out that this year’s rankings marked a five-fold jump: from merely 11 universities in 2014 to 54 in 2026. He attributed this increase to the transformative reforms introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. This article aims to critically analyse this claim and poses a question: Does the success of a few elite institutions signal a broader, system-wide upward momentum of Indian higher education?
Two parallel shifts have contributed to the growth in the world rankings of Indian institutions. QS rankings have refined their methodology to provide a more holistic assessment of universities. New indicators such as international research networks, sustainability, and employment outcomes have made the rankings more multidimensional. Furthermore, former indicators have also been refined/revised. For instance, from counting total citations, the ranking methodology has been changed to ‘counting citations per faculty’, ensuring disciplinary and size balance. This move benefits institutions with strengths in liberal arts, social sciences, engineering or technology, which have fewer citations compared to natural or life sciences as well as smaller institutions with fewer faculty. IIT Delhi and Bombay have significantly boosted their rankings due to this change, which has adequately captured their global research output. They have also benefited from strong placement records and scored well in employer surveys.
A total of 54 Indian higher education institutions (HEIs) featured in the 2026 edition of the globally recognised Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings, with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi achieving the country’s highest-ever rank at 123rd place.
Moreover, as these shifts aligned with India’s broader policy vision of multidisciplinary learning, research and innovation, as well as global partnerships, institutions were able to strategically and proactively align with this vision and reaped global recognition. Following the launch of NEP, several universities have also increased their foreign collaborations, research partnerships, and joint publications, improving scores under the ‘international research network’.
While the top gains are still concentrated among IITs and a few top universities, there are indications of improved performance at a system level. Eight new Indian institutions entered the QS 26 rankings, the highest number of new entries for any country this year. Nearly 50 percent of all Indian institutions that participated in this year’s assessment had improved their global standing. This includes both public and private universities, such as the University of Delhi, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, and Chandigarh University. The momentum, therefore, is not exclusive to IITs.
Nonetheless, the most visible advances continue to be led by specific top-tier institutions, which have aligned their objectives with NEP and international standards. Others pursue a challenging, slower movement to adapt to evolving national and global benchmarks. While the speed of progress remains uneven across the higher education ecosystem, the momentum NEP has stirred and the strides leading universities are making offer an aspirational blueprint for mid-tier institutions to follow.
Despite this momentum, several major challenges remain. India continues to lag on a key metric: student-faculty ratio. The national average student-faculty ratio at the tertiary level in India is 24:1, compared to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average of 16:1. Many universities struggle with hurdles such as chronic understaffing, which affects both teaching quality and research output. Indian institutions also rank poorly in terms of global student diversity. Although several initiatives have been inculcated, foreign student enrollment remains below the targets—roughly 72,000 in 2024–25, against a target of 200,000 set under the Study in India (SII) programme. Furthermore, delays in setting up the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI)—envisioned by NEP to streamline higher education regulation—pose another critical challenge. Addressing these gaps is essential to ensure that India’s internationalisation is not just concerned with a few globally ranked institutions, but accompanies a system-wide transformation.
To consolidate recent gains into long-term systemic reform across the higher education ecosystem, India must prioritise six crucial strategies. First, India needs to support mid-tier and state public universities through targeted funding, mentorship by leading HEIs, and research capacity-building. This will foster inclusive progress and pave the way for many more institutions to enter the global rankings. Second, there is a need to expand and support the academic workforce, strengthen their recruitment pipeline, retention and continuous professional development. Third, India should encourage regional excellence through institutions that offer excellence in specific subjects—such as agriculture, life sciences or humanities—to shine in subject-specific global rankings. Encouraging diaspora faculty exchanges and visiting fellow programmes could further augment these shifts in the right direction.
To consolidate recent gains into long-term systemic reform across the higher education ecosystem, India must prioritise six crucial strategies. First, India needs to support mid-tier and state public universities through targeted funding, mentorship by leading HEIs, and research capacity-building.
Fourth, the SII programme must be revamped to strengthen outreach and marketing, simplify visa processes, and offer scholarships and financial aid to attract diverse groups of foreign students. Fifth, fast-track internationalisation at home by integrating a global curriculum, embedding international pedagogies and promoting intercultural learning environments. This approach will foster global competencies and prepare India’s youth for cross-cultural collaboration and global careers, further attracting international students. Sixth, and most urgently, India must strengthen the systemic foundations of the higher education ecosystem through HECI. HECI must focus not only on unifying regulatory frameworks but also enhancing ranking literacy, alongside tracking joint research, student and faculty mobility, and contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by Indian institutions.
In conclusion, the upward trajectory of India’s top institutions marks the early stage of a relay, one where the baton must be passed on to drive system-wide progress. In the years ahead, it is crucial to close the structural gaps and build a collective momentum across all HEIs. The true test of India’s higher education transformation will not be measured by who tops the list, but by how many are lifted along the way.
Arpan Tulsyan is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for New Economic Diplomacy, Observer Research Foundation.
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Arpan Tulsyan is a Senior Fellow at ORF’s Centre for New Economic Diplomacy (CNED). With 16 years of experience in development research and policy advocacy, Arpan ...
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