New Delhi – Seven Indian higher education institutions, including five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, and Delhi University, have secured spots among Asia's top 100 universities in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026. The latest rankings, released on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, highlight India's growing, though somewhat volatile, presence in regional higher education. ^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]}### India's Top Performers Revealed Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) emerged as the country's highest-ranked institution, placing 59th in Asia. T^{[1][2][10][3][4][11][6][7][8][9][12][13]}his marks the fifth consecutive year IIT Delhi has held the top position among Indian universities. H^{[1][2][7][8][9]}owever, the institution experienced a significant drop, falling 15 places from its 44th rank in the previous year. ^{[10][11][7][13]}The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru followed, securing the 64th position. I^[4][6][7]IT Madras ranked 70th, while IIT Bombay placed 71st. I^[4][6][7]IT Bombay also saw a substantial decline, dropping 23 positions from its 48th rank in 2025. ^[10][11][13]Rounding out the top 100 from India were IIT Kanpur and IIT Kharagpur, both jointly ranked 77th. T^[4][6]he University of Delhi also made it into the elite group, securing the 95th spot. ^{[4][14][6][15]}### Broader Indian Representation and Noteworthy Trends India's overall representation in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026 expanded significantly. The country now features 294 universities in the rankings, making it the second most represented higher education system in Asia, just behind China with 395 institutions. T^{[3][11][7][15][12]}his year saw 137 new Indian universities join the list, the highest number of debuts from any country. ^{[11][7][15][16][12]}Jessica Turner, CEO of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), commented on India's progress. "India's higher education transformation is now visible in the data – a system that's globally relevant and locally empowering," Turner said. She^{[1][11][7][8]} added that the entry of over 130 Indian universities into this year's Asia Rankings signals both depth and breadth in the education sector. De^[1][8]spite the increased presence, many of India's established top institutions, including several IITs and IISc, experienced a decline in their individual rankings this year. Thi^{[10][11][15][13]}s trend was observed as universities from other Asian nations like China, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore continued to improve their standing. ##^[10][11][15]# Strengths and Challenges for Indian Institutions The rankings highlighted several areas where Indian universities excel. India ranks best in Asia for 'staff with PhD,' indicating a strong investment in faculty development and research-led teaching. Fiv^[1][2][8][9]e Indian universities also ranked among Asia's top 10 for 'Papers per Faculty,' demonstrating high research productivity. Mau^{[11][7][8][12]}lana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal, led this metric, ranking first in Asia. Ho^{[1][11][8][12]}wever, internationalization remains a significant challenge for Indian institutions. They recorded lower scores in indicators such as 'international student ratio' and 'international faculty ratio' compared to regional leaders. For^{[10][11][15][12]} example, top global universities often score a perfect 100 on international student ratio, while IITs in India ranged from 2.5 (IIT Kharagpur) to 12.3 (IIT Roorkee). In^[10][15]dian institutions also showed weaker scores in 'citations per paper,' a key measure of research impact. IIT^[10][15] Delhi, IIT Bombay, and IIT Madras, for instance, had scores well below other leading Asian universities that scored above 90 in this metric. Th^[10][15]e expansion of the rankings, which now feature 1,529 universities, up from 984 last year, is linked to greater volatility in this year's results. Whi^{[1][2][11][8]}le 36 Indian institutes improved their rank, 16 remained stable, and 105 saw a decline compared to the previous year. Thi^{[1][2][11][7][8][9]}s reflects an increasingly competitive landscape across the Asian higher education sector. ME^[4]TA_TITLE: Seven Indian Universities, Five IITs, DU, IISc in QS Asia Top 100