Most Indian Universities Slip in Latest QS Asia Rankings Amid Fierce Regional Competition

Seven out of ten Indian universities in the QS World University Rankings for Asia have recorded a dip in their positions, even as the country's total presence in the table grew to 325 institutions.

The Top Tiers

According to QS data, 71 per cent of India's ranked universities fell, 18 per cent rose and 11 per cent held steady. The decline reached the very top, with all six of India's highest-ranked universities dropping. IIT Delhi slipped from 59th to 66th, IISc Bangalore fell from 64th to 79th, IIT Bombay dropped from 71st to 83rd, and IIT Madras moved from 70th to 85th. The University of Delhi fell from 95th to 106th, pushing it out of the regional top 100. Within the top 200, IIT Kanpur and UPES each dropped 20 places, while Chandigarh University improved to 104th and Lovely Professional University rose to 154th.

Reasons and Scores

QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter explained that the 71 per cent figure shows the proportion of ranked universities that moved down, rather than a decline in overall performance. In fact, two-thirds of the Indian universities that dropped in rank actually improved their overall scores. The downward shifts were driven largely by indicators measuring academic reputation, employer reputation, and international student recruitment and exchange. Meanwhile, research productivity emerged as a bright spot, with Papers per Faculty being the only indicator where more Indian universities rose than fell.

Context

University rankings measure relative performance against global peers rather than absolute institutional quality. India's representation in the QS Asia table has surged from 24 to 325 universities since 2016, reflecting massive system expansion that brings heightened competition from new entrants across the region.