QS World University Rankings 2026

QS World University Rankings Latest News

The QS World University Rankings recently released its latest edition of rankings of higher education institutions across the world.

About QS World University Rankings

• It is published annually by global higher education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds.
• The QS rankings evaluate universities on several parameters, including academic reputation, overall score, employer reputation, and employment outcomes.
• The 2026 edition evaluated 8467 institutions and featured over 1,500 institutions from more than 100 countries, marking shifts in global higher education performance. 
• This year’s rankings introduced a new International Student Diversity (ISD) metric as an unweighted indicator. 

QS World University Rankings 2026 Highlights

• The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, holds the top position for the 14th straight year. 
• It is followed by Imperial College London and Stanford University, which climbed from sixth to third. 
• Other institutions in the top ten include the University of Oxford, Harvard University, the University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, the National University of Singapore (NUS), University College London (UCL), and Caltech.
• The US remains the most represented country overall, with 192 institutions featured in the list, and most showing improved positions.
• China continues its strong presence, with Peking University at 14th (92.6), and Tsinghua University rising to 17th with a score of 91.2. Fudan University, another university from China, climbed nine spots to reach the 30th position, while the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) secured the 32nd rank.
• India has achieved an all-time high in the rankings, with 54 institutions featured in the 2026 list-a significant rise from 46 in 2025 and 45 in 2024. 
• With this, India has become the fourth most represented nation globally, following the United States, the United Kingdom, and China.
• Eight Indian universities are new entrants this year, the highest from any country, marking India’s position as the fastest-growing G20 nation in the QS rankings, with a remarkable 390% increase in representation over the past decade.
• Leading the Indian contingent is the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, which has climbed to the 123rd position globally, jointly ranked with the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA. This marks the institute’s highest-ever rank, up from 197th in 2024 and 150th in 2025.
• IIT Bombay, although down from its all-time high of 118 last year, continues to feature in the global top 130, ranking 129th overall. 
• Meanwhile, IIT Madras recorded a remarkable jump of 47 spots to reach 180th, entering the global top 200 for the first time.
• Nearly half (48%) of India’s ranked institutions improved their positions this year. 
• Five Indian universities made it to the global top 100 for Employer Reputation, and eight institutions secured a place among the top 100 globally for Citations per Faculty – a research quality metric – achieving an average score of 43.7, ahead of Germany, the UK, and the US.

Top 10 Indian Institutes in QS World University Rankings 2026

• IIT Delhi – Rank 123
• IIT Bombay – Rank 129
• IIT Madras – Rank 180
• IIT Kharagpur – Rank 215
• IISc Bangalore – Rank 219
• IIT Kanpur – Rank 222
• University of Delhi – Rank 328
• IIT Guwahati – Rank 334
• IIT Roorkee – Rank 339
• Anna University – Rank 465

Source: IE

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