QS World University Rankings 2027 Released: IIT Delhi Emerges as India's Highest-Ranked Institution

QS Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has released the QS World University Rankings 2027. In this edition, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) emerged as India's highest-ranked institution, securing the 118th position globally. This marks another significant achievement for Indian higher education, with 52 Indian institutions featured in the rankings—the highest representation by India to date.

Key Findings

Global Highlights:

¨     More than 1,500 institutions from 106 countries and territories were evaluated.

¨     Massachusetts Institute of Technology retained the 1st position globally for the 15th consecutive year.

Top 5 universities globally:

¨     Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA)

¨     Stanford University (USA) (Joint 2nd)

¨     Imperial College London (UK) (Joint 2nd)

¨     University of Oxford (UK)

¨     Harvard University (USA)

India-Specific Findings

¨     India has 52 universities in the rankings, making it the 5th most represented higher education system

¨     globally after the USA, UK, China and Germany.

¨     The number of Indian institutions ranked increased from 14 in 2017 to 52 in 2027, marking a 271% increase, the fastest proportional growth among G20 nations.

¨     18 Indian universities achieved their highest-ever ranking, including 13 non-IIT institutions.

¨     India now possesses the world’s third-largest research output base.

IIT Delhi: India’s Best Performer

¨     Retained its position as India’s highest-ranked university for the second consecutive year.

¨     Improved from 123rd to 118th globally, matching the highest-ever rank achieved by an Indian institution.

¨     Climbed 79 places in four years (197th in QS 2024 to 118th in QS 2027).

¨     Employer Reputation improved to 39th globally.

¨     Employment Outcomes improved by 60 places.

¨     Citations per Faculty improved significantly to 60th globally

Major Movers Among Indian Universities

¨     VIT climbed 94 places to 597th globally.

¨     BITS Pilani climbed 93 places to 575th globally.

¨     Jamia Millia Islamia improved by over 75 places to 686th globally.

Research & Employability Performance

¨     11 Indian universities feature among the global top 100 in Citations per Faculty.

¨     6 Indian universities are among the global top 100 in Employer Reputation.

¨     IIT Bombay ranked 32nd globally in Employer Reputation (best in India).

¨     IISc Bengaluru ranked 21st globally in Citations per Faculty.

¨     Key Challenges: Indian institutions continue to lag in international student ratio, international faculty ratio, global academic engagement, and faculty-student ratio.

¨     No Indian institution is currently among the global top 100 in Academic Reputation.

Significance

¨     Reflects the global competitiveness of higher education institutions.

¨     Evaluates performance across teaching, research, employability and internationalisation.

¨     Serves as an important benchmark for students, universities and policymakers worldwide.

¨     Highlights India’s emergence as a major global knowledge and research hub under the broader vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.