QS World University Rankings 2027: IIT Delhi at 118 Globally, Best Among All Indian Universities

Once again, IIT Delhi has managed to secure first place among Indian universities in the QS World University Rankings 2027. The university made five places to reach 118th globally, which marked its best-ever performance.

IIT Bombay was previously the leading university in India, but it has been dethroned by dropping 11 ranks in the past year. This time it fell further from the 129th to the 134th position.

On an international scale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology has once again managed to secure first place, holding the top ranking position for the 15th year in a row. Stanford University, Imperial College London, University of Oxford, and Harvard University ranked second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

IITs Still Dominate India's Top 10

IITs dominate India’s university ranking once again. IIT Madras has climbed one spot and now ranks 170th worldwide (down from 180th last year). It is now the second IIT after Delhi and Bombay that has cracked the top 200 worldwide.

The following is a list of the top 10 universities in India as per QS 2027 rankings:

Why Did IIT Delhi Rise?

Ben Sowter, QS Senior Vice President, outlined the factors behind IIT Delhi’s impressive performance. "IIT Delhi jumped to 39th place worldwide in the employers' reputation ranking, 60th in citations per faculty. Moreover, the institution increased its score in employment results by 60 places, ranking at 280th position internationally. Over the last five years, IIT Delhi's ranking improved by 67 positions."

It was also noted that IIT Delhi achieved its highest score in citations, ranking 182nd place just three years ago, in 2024.

Why Did IIT Bombay Drop?

While IIT Bombay has done reasonably well on the reputation front, moving up to position 32 worldwide, a 25-point decline in citations per faculty member has adversely affected the institution’s global ranking. Sowter further highlighted low rankings in international outlook, such as international faculty, international students, and international collaboration as other critical factors for its poor performance.

IISc Bangalore's Steady Decline

The Institute for Science Bangalore has experienced declining rankings over the past few years. Specifically, in 2023, it ranked at 155, while the previous year, it had been ranked 219, which fell to 221 for the present year. While it performs well in citation per faculty, scoring a perfect 99.9, it falls short in terms of employer reputation (48.8) and employability (22.6).

Shoolini University Makes India's Top 10

Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, a private university in Himachal Pradesh, India, cracked the top ten rankings and is currently ranked 452, up from 503 last year. The success was attributed to its quality research and citations per faculty, sustainability, and improved employer reputation scores.

Largest Upsets in India

These Indian universities performed remarkably well this year:

• Vellore Institute of Technology—up 94 positions to 597th position globally
• BITS Pilani — up 93 places to 575th globally
• Jamia Millia Islamia — up 75+ places to 686th, entering India's top 20

India's Performance by Key Metrics

On employer reputation (15% weightage), IIT Bombay leads India at 32nd globally, followed by IIT Delhi (39th), IIT Kanpur (78th), IIT Madras (81st), Symbiosis International (85th), and IIT Kharagpur (88th).

On citations per faculty (20% weightage), IISc Bangalore ranks 21st globally, with Anna University at 69th. Among IITs, IIT Roorkee leads at 50th.

On employment outcomes (5% weightage), only the University of Mumbai and University of Delhi made the global top 100.

On academic reputation (30% weightage, the highest), no Indian institution has cracked the global top 100 yet.

What's Stopping India from Breaking into the Global Top 100?

The Sowter did not sugarcoat the obstacles. “International collaboration and faculty-to-student ratio remain our most serious problems. While our universities are making strides in terms of reputation and impact, joining the list of the world’s best 100 will be impossible without doing well in all nine categories.”

India's Bigger Picture

India currently has 52 universities in the QS Rankings, which is a decrease from 54 last year. Nevertheless, India continues to rank fifth worldwide on numbers of institutions after the United States (184), United Kingdom (93), China (85), and Germany (60). Over the past ten years, India’s presence in the rankings has increased by 271%, from 11 universities in 2015 to 52 today.

Furthermore, QS observed that many existing university systems are being put under pressure. In Germany, 78% of ranked universities have been falling, while in the US, 67% have been declining in their ranking positions. However, with India's increasing young population and educational system growth, the country is set for future success.

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