India is set to break new records and become the second-best represented nation in the world, behind only the US, in the 2026 edition of Times Higher Education ranking, according to Times Higher Education’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Phil Baty.

The comments were made by Baty in a statement on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the new National Education Policy (NEP).

“In the 2026 edition of the world rankings, to be published at the World Academic Summit on 8 October this year, India will break new records to become the second best represented nation in the world, behind only the US. So the data is clear that India’s universities are increasingly rubbing shoulders with the world’s global research elite.

“But based on an additional, very different set of performance metrics based on their social and economic impact, India’s universities are also starting to really shine,” he said.

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (re-launched for 2026 as the Sustainability Impact Ratings) assess universities’ social and economic impact based on their contributions to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Universities are examined on their teaching, research, community outreach and the stewardship of their resources across hundreds of metrics based on all 17 of the UN SDGs.

Baty noted that India’s National Education Policy of 2020 was so pioneering and so bold that many said at its launch five years ago that it was simply too ambitious to succeed. “…but exactly five years since the NEP 2020 was formally launched, there is a growing body of independent evidence that, despite the dramatic disruption of the COVID pandemic, the bold vision is rapidly becoming a reality.

“Certainly, regarding ambitions to improve higher education quality and to finally embrace the full internationalisation of Indian higher education, Times Higher Education’s data is clear — the plans are working,” he said.

In 2019, the year before NEP2020, India had 49 universities in the rankings – a share of around four per cent of all ranked universities. In the 2026 edition, India’s representation will have almost tripled to 128 ranked universities, representing nearly six per cent of all ranked universities.

“This remarkable achievement reflects a nation-wide commitment from Indian universities to collect better data, to step forward and subject themselves to global data benchmarking, to put themselves on the world stage alongside the top research universities worldwide — and most importantly to be a visible and active part of the global academic community, where research collaboration and talent exchange can help them to thrive further.

“And it is not just in representation where India is showing exceptional progress. There are improvements in quality too. So the data is clear that India’s universities are increasingly rubbing shoulders with the world’s global research elite. But based on an additional, very different set of performance metrics based on their social and economic impact, India’s universities are also starting to really shine,” he said.

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