QS Asia Rankings 2026: IIT Delhi Tops India Despite Rank Drop

How has India performed?

• There are 7 universities from India in Asia’s top 100, 20 India universities in the top 200, and 66 universities in the top 500.

• There is a steady improvement in the overall rankings of the Indian universities as this year, 19 universities from India got their best-ever ranking.

• However, because of the high global competition and limited internalisation, the average rank of India has slightly decreased.

Why IIT Delhi Retains the Leading Position in India?

Surprisingly, despite having a low Asia ranking, the IIT Delhi still outperforms several other Indian universities due to the following reasons:

• High Faculty Qualifications

• Strong Research Productivity

• Employer Reputation

• Academic Excellence

What is the reason for the drop in ranking?

Here are the reasons why IIT Delhi’s ranking in the Asia rankings dropped from 44th to 59th place.

• Increased competition: There are a total of 1529 universities and 558 new entries in the 2026 QS Asia list, pointing towards the high global competitiveness.

• Lack of internalisation: Some metrics where the Indian universities scored low include exchange programs, international faculty, and total number of international student enrolment.

• Peer declines across the country: Due to the slight drop in all the IITs and IISc, the IIT Delhi faces a sector-wise challenge.

Also Read: QS World University Rankings by Subject

What are the implications for higher education in India?

The ramifications for Indian higher education are as follows:

• Increasing representation: India's educational system is gradually becoming more comprehensive and diverse on a global scale. The number of ranked Indian universities accurately reflects this.

• Strengths in research and faculty: India has a solid academic foundation and a dedication to advancement driven by research. This is emphasised by the PhD staff and papers per faculty.

• Gap in globalisation: Hiring more foreign faculty, providing English-taught programs and exchange programs, and establishing collaborative research networks are the only ways to address the primary issue of international exposure.

What does this mean for Indian students and colleges?

Here is what this means for students and colleges.

• For Students: Due to its excellent research quality and high employability, studying at IIT Delhi continues to have enormous value.

• For Institutions: India's poor international rankings can be addressed with the support of strategic alliances with international universities.

Conclusion

Even when the IIT Delhi has reduced in ranking from 44th to 59th place, IIT Delhi is still the best-performing Indian university in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026. The idea that this is showcasing is that while the Indian universities outperform other universities in terms of academic excellence and research facilities, there is an urgent need to focus more on internalisation and global collaborations to improve the ranking.