NEW DELHI: India’s rise in QS World University Rankings is no longer being driven by IITs, as gains are becoming more dispersed, with more private and state universities, and central institutions making it to the list.However, the flagship still matters — IIT-Delhi has climbed to 118th in the world, equalling the highest rank ever achieved by an Indian institution. Globally, MIT retained the top spot for the 15th consecutive year, followed by Imperial College London and Stanford University (joint second).The 2027 rankings — to be released today — mark India’s strongest performance since the National Education Policy came into being in 2020. The country now has 52 institutions in the rankings — the fifth-largest contingent globally. Eighteen institutions have achieved their highest-ever rankings, and 13 of them are non-IITs.

IIT-Delhi climbed five places from 123rd to 118th, matching the highest rank ever achieved by an Indian institution, first attained by IIT-Bombay in the 2026 rankings. IIT-Bombay slipped five places to 134th, IIT-Madras rose to 170th, while IIT-Kharagpur climbed to 205th. Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, was ranked 221st globally.The defining feature, however, is the breadth of improvement. Twenty-six Indian universities improved their positions, nine remained unchanged and 15 declined, while two institutions entered the rankings for the first time. India’s improvement rate of 52% places it among the strongestperforming higher education systems globally.The largest gains came from Vellore Institute of Technology, which jumped 94 places to 597th, and BITS Pilani, which climbed 93 places to 575th.IIT-Hyderabad rose 76 places, Jamia Millia Islamia advanced more than 75 places to 686th, and Shoolini University climbed 51 places to 452nd, entering India’s top 10 universities.India’s strongest performance continues to come from research impact and employer recognition — 11 institutions now feature among the world’s top 100 for citations per faculty, led by IISc at 21st and IIT-Roorkee at 50th. Six are among the global top 100 for employer reputation, with IIT-Bombay leading India at 32nd. University of Mumbai jumped 70 places to rank 25th for employment outcomes.