QS I-GAUGE opens applications for Institution of Happiness Awards 2026–27

October 6, 2026 /Posted byPrajwal EW / 1

QS I-GAUGE, an independent educational institution rating and assessment system in India, has opened applications for the fourth edition of its Institution of Happiness (IOH) Awards. Schools, colleges and universities across India can participate, with applications closing on October 7.

The IOH framework assesses well-being in educational institutions through anonymous surveys covering campus safety, emotional and mental well-being, voice and recognition, personal and holistic growth, and support systems. Students, faculty, alumni and parents participate in the surveys, while institutions are also evaluated on programmes and practices supporting happiness and well-being.

Institutions meeting the evaluation criteria will receive a certificate recognising their efforts towards campus happiness and well-being. Participation is free of charge.

Launched in 2021, the IOH Awards have brought together perspectives from more than 5.4 lakh stakeholders across 236 institutions in the 2025–26 edition. The findings contributed to a national report on happiness and well-being in Indian education.

“We would like to place happiness and well-being at the core of Indian education because a joyful place of learning enhances academic excellence and quality of learning,” said Ravin Nair, Managing Director, QS I-GAUGE. He added that the initiative seeks to understand the experiences of students, faculty, parents and the wider institutional community and recognise institutions working to create supportive learning environments.

The IOH initiative has received more than 400 applications from schools, colleges and universities for its 2026–27 edition so far.

Also Read: Burlington English India partners with ARISE to strengthen English communication in schools

One comment

Rajesh meena
October 9, 2026 - 5:45 am
The institution provides a good learning environment. More practical training, better communication, timely support, and additional career guidance would further improve the overall student experience.
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“Most schools never consciously chose their basic unit. They inherited one from the past: the class. With the class as the focus, the things that happen between people get squeezed out: the apprentice learning alongside someone skilled, the child taught where they are rather than where the class is, and the daily practice of getting along with people they did not choose. The most promising new schools are organising themselves around the individual child rather than the class. A better approach is to group children by readiness in each subject and change those groups as they progress. Communication, collaboration and handling disagreement need daily practice. In a school built around individual progress, teachers get time back to observe, diagnose, mentor and step in where they are most needed. Most teachers entered the profession to make a difference to children. Many spend their careers managing classes instead. The best new schools offer them a system that finally lets them do the work they signed up for.”

- Rahul Raghavan, Economic Times, (27/10)

“Government medical college seats are 100% filled, vacancies are confined entirely to the private sector. Colleges and state fee-fixation committees must re-examine these fee structures, because lowering NEET qualifying cut-offs will not resolve an affordability crisis when millions of candidates already qualify. The vacancies are an indicator that qualifying for medical admission does not necessarily mean students could afford a seat. Institutions charge full fees to early applicants and offer discounts to late entrants to fill the vacant seats. It reflects a purely commercial approach that compromises merit while still failing to fill classrooms. High management-quota fees are putting seats beyond the reach of many candidates. Some 24 lakh students write the entrance test for 1.4 lakh seats. While the cream gets government seats, the rest of the students cannot afford a management-quota seat.”

- Divyansh Kumar, The Times of India, (2/11)

QS I-GAUGE opens applications for Institution of Happiness Awards 2026–27

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