Context:

• Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released the QS World University Rankings 2026 on 19 June 2025, featuring over 1,503 institutions from 105 countries.

Key Highlights:

Evaluation Criteria:

The QS rankings are based on the following key parameters:

• Academic Reputation
• Employer Reputation
• Faculty-Student Ratio
• Citations per Faculty
• International Faculty and Student Ratio
• Sustainability
• International Research Network

Top Global Institutions:

Top Universities:

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the top spot for the 14th consecutive year.
• Imperial College London climbed four places to secure the 2nd position.
• Stanford University jumped from 6th to 3rd place due to improvements in sustainability and international faculty.
• University of Oxford is ranked 4th, Harvard University 5th, and University of Cambridge 6th.
• Other institutions in the top 10 include ETH Zurich, National University of Singapore (NUS), University College London (UCL), and California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Top 10 Rankings (2026):

Representation:

• The United States is the most represented country with 192 institutions.
• The United Kingdom follows with 90 institutions, and Mainland China is third with 72 institutions.

Notable Progress:

• Sunway University (Malaysia) made the biggest leap this year, climbing 120 positions.
• India and Germany showed the highest percentage of improvement among their institutions—India improved in 41% of its institutions.
• China also saw overall progress, though some institutions declined in ranking.

India’s Performance:

Achievements:

• 54 Indian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were ranked in 2026, a fivefold increase from just 11 in 2014.
• IIT Delhi secured the 123rd global rank, emerging as the top institution from India and achieving its best-ever performance.

Note: IIT Delhi jumped 27 ranks from the previous year (Rank 150 in 2025 and 197 in 2024).

Other Leading Indian Institutions:

• IIT Bombay (approx. in the top 150 globally)
• IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, and IISc Bangalore (all within the global top 300)
• 41% of Indian institutions improved their rankings, while only 20% saw a decline, reflecting India's strong overall performance.

About Quacquarelli Symonds (QS):

• Founded: 1990
• Provides analysis and insights for the global higher education sector, focusing on academic excellence, international mobility, and career development.