NEW DELHI, Nov 4: Indian universities have witnessed a significant setback in the QS World University Rankings for Asia 2027, with nearly 71 per cent of the country’s ranked institutions slipping from their previous positions despite an increase in India’s overall representation in the regional list.
The latest rankings show that India has 325 universities and higher education institutions featured in the assessment, making it the second-most represented country or region after mainland China. However, the increased presence has not translated into improved positions for most institutions.
According to the rankings, 71 per cent of Indian universities moved down, while 18 per cent improved their positions and 11 per cent maintained their previous standing. The results have brought renewed attention to the challenges facing Indian higher education, particularly in academic reputation, employer perception and internationalisation.
The decline has also affected some of the country’s most prominent institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the University of Delhi.
Leading Indian Institutions Lose Ground
IIT Delhi continues to be India’s highest-ranked institution in the QS Asia 2027 list. However, it has slipped from 59th position in the previous edition to 66th this year.
The Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, dropped from 64th to 79th place, while IIT Bombay moved from 71st to 83rd. IIT Madras also experienced a decline, falling from 70th to 85th position.
Other major institutions recorded similar setbacks. IIT Kharagpur moved from 77th to 90th position, while IIT Kanpur slipped from 77th to 97th. The University of Delhi also fell from 95th to 106th, moving outside the regional top 100.
The decline among these institutions is particularly significant because they have traditionally represented India’s strongest presence in international university rankings.
However, the ranking results do not necessarily indicate that these universities have experienced an absolute decline in their academic performance. Rankings are comparative assessments, and institutions can lose positions when competing universities improve their scores or when additional institutions enter the evaluation.
Several Universities Improve Their Positions
Despite the overall downward movement, a number of Indian universities recorded encouraging gains in the latest edition.
Chandigarh University improved from 109th to 104th position, achieving its best placement in the QS Asia rankings so far. Lovely Professional University made a notable improvement, moving from 187th to 154th place.
Symbiosis International University also advanced from 200th to 175th position, while Jamia Millia Islamia improved from 197th to 183rd.
Among government institutions, IIT Hyderabad climbed from 270th to 251st place. IIT (BHU) Varanasi also improved its position, moving from 237th to 219th.
Jawaharlal Nehru University recorded a smaller but positive improvement, advancing from 130th to 128th position.
Other institutions making substantial progress included IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, which climbed 51 places to 373rd, and Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology Jalandhar, which advanced 180 places to 486th.
Delhi Technological University also recorded a considerable improvement, rising 116 places to 584th.
Among private institutions, Jain University, GLA University and Woxsen University registered significant upward movements. Jain University advanced 221 positions to 374th, while Woxsen University climbed 195 places to 499th.
These improvements indicate that the performance of Indian higher education institutions remains diverse, with some universities making progress even as several established names face stronger regional competition.
Why Are Indian Universities Falling in the Rankings?
The QS assessment points towards academic reputation, employer reputation and internationalisation as important areas where Indian universities need improvement.
Academic Reputation carries 30 per cent weightage in the rankings, while Employer Reputation accounts for 20 per cent. According to the reported assessment, the Academic Reputation indicator declined for 76 per cent of Indian universities, while 83 per cent recorded a fall in Employer Reputation.
Internationalisation also emerged as a major concern.
The international student indicator declined for 85 per cent of Indian institutions. Similarly, the indicators measuring inbound and outbound student exchange fell for 91 per cent and 89 per cent of universities respectively.
These figures suggest that Indian institutions face challenges in attracting international students, developing overseas academic partnerships and providing greater opportunities for student exchange.
The rankings also highlight the importance of building stronger relationships with employers and improving the international visibility of universities.
Academic reputation is generally influenced by the perception of researchers and institutions across the global academic community. Employer reputation, meanwhile, reflects how graduates and universities are viewed by employers.
Improving these areas requires sustained investment in research, teaching quality, industry collaboration and international academic engagement.
Research Productivity Remains a Strong Area
While several indicators showed a decline, research productivity continued to provide a relatively positive picture for Indian institutions.
According to the QS assessment, Papers per Faculty was the only indicator in which more Indian universities improved than declined.
India also maintained a strong presence in the regional rankings for research output. As many as 27 Indian universities featured among Asia’s top 50 institutions for Papers per Faculty, including five in the top 10.
The country also performed strongly in the Staff with PhD indicator, with 15 institutions sharing the first position.
However, research influence remains an area requiring further improvement. Only three Indian universities featured among Asia’s top 50 for Citations per Paper.
The difference between research production and citation impact indicates that publishing more academic papers does not automatically translate into greater international research influence.
Universities need to strengthen research quality, encourage collaboration with international institutions and promote work that attracts wider academic recognition.
Growing Competition Across Asia
The QS rankings also indicate that Indian universities are operating in an increasingly competitive regional environment.
A total of 195 new universities entered the latest rankings, increasing competition for established institutions. The ranking organisation noted that relatively small differences in scores can result in substantial changes in positions.
The downward movement is not limited to India. Several other established higher education systems in Asia also recorded a greater proportion of universities falling than rising.
Japan, for instance, saw 85 per cent of its ranked universities decline, while Taiwan and Indonesia recorded downward movement among approximately 70 per cent of their institutions.
This suggests that the latest results reflect wider changes in the Asian higher education landscape rather than an isolated development affecting India.
As more universities strengthen their academic programmes, research facilities and international partnerships, maintaining a strong regional position is becoming increasingly difficult.
What the Rankings Mean for Indian Higher Education
The latest results underline the need for Indian universities to focus on more than expanding their enrolment and increasing the number of institutions appearing in international assessments.
Improving teaching standards, strengthening research infrastructure, recruiting qualified faculty and developing stronger international connections will remain important for institutions seeking better regional recognition.
Universities may also need to expand student and faculty exchange programmes, encourage joint research projects and build closer relationships with industries.
For students, the rankings offer one reference point when comparing universities, but they should not be treated as the only measure of institutional quality. Course accreditation, faculty expertise, placement opportunities, research facilities, affordability and campus support systems are equally important considerations.
The decline in positions among leading institutions also highlights the need for sustained improvements rather than short-term measures aimed only at improving ranking scores.
India’s growing representation of 325 institutions demonstrates the scale and diversity of its higher education system. However, converting this wider presence into stronger academic recognition will require improvements across several areas.
The QS Asia 2027 results therefore present a mixed picture for Indian higher education: wider participation and encouraging progress by several universities, alongside persistent challenges in reputation, international engagement and research influence.