QS Asia University Rankings 2027: India leads in research output but top universities slip

November 4, 2026 /Posted byPrajwal EW / 0

India remains Asia’s second most represented higher education system with 325 ranked universities, including 34 new entrants.

India has retained its position as Asia’s second most represented higher education system, with 325 universities featured in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027, released by QS Quacquarelli Symonds on November 3. However, all six of India’s highest-ranked universities have slipped in the rankings amid increasing competition across the region.

The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) remains India’s highest-ranked institution at 66th, down from 59th in 2026. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore ranks 79th, followed by IIT Bombay at 83rd, IIT Madras at 85th, IIT Kharagpur at 90th and IIT Kanpur at 97th. The University of Delhi has also dropped out of the top 100, falling from 95th to 106th.

Despite these declines, India has expanded its representation, adding 34 institutions to the rankings. The number of ranked Indian universities has increased from 24 in 2016 to 325 in 2027, representing growth of more than 1,250 per cent. India now accounts for 19 per cent of all ranked institutions in Asia.

Research output and doctoral capacity

India leads Asia in research output relative to academic staff. According to QS, 27 Indian universities feature among the region’s top 50 for Papers per Faculty, with five in the top 10. IISc Bangalore ranks first in this indicator, followed by IIT Madras at third, IIT Delhi at seventh, IIT Roorkee at eighth and IIT Ropar at ninth.

India also has 15 universities sharing first place in Asia for Staff with PhD, reflecting the proportion of academic staff holding doctoral qualifications. Indian institutions account for 47 of Asia’s top 100 universities in this indicator.

However, research impact remains an area for improvement. Only three Indian universities feature among Asia’s top 50 for Citations per Paper, which measures the citation impact of published research.

Universities improving their positions

Several Indian institutions have improved their rankings. Lovely Professional University has climbed from 187th to 154th, while Chandigarh University has moved from 109th to 104th. Jamia Millia Islamia has improved from 197th to 183rd, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education has entered the top 200 at 195th.

Other institutions recording gains include Jawaharlal Nehru University, Symbiosis International, Amity University and Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences.

Employer reputation and internationalisation

Employer reputation remains a strength for India’s leading institutions. IIT Bombay ranks seventh in Asia for Employer Reputation, while IIT Delhi ranks 10th, making them the first Indian universities to enter the indicator’s regional top 10.

However, internationalisation remains an area for improvement, with India performing below the regional average in international faculty, international students and student exchange indicators.

QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter said India had developed significant research capacity, but needed to translate its research output into greater impact and international recognition. He highlighted the importance of investment in research quality, international partnerships and global visibility.

QS Vice President, Strategic and International Engagement, Ashwin Fernandes said the National Education Policy 2020 and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation provide a framework for further development. He added that international research partnerships, greater student and faculty mobility and stronger industry links could help India strengthen its position in global higher education.

Asian rankings

The University of Hong Kong retained the first position for the second consecutive year, followed by Peking University at second. Tsinghua University climbed from ninth to third, giving mainland China two institutions in the top three.

City University of Hong Kong ranked fourth, while The Chinese University of Hong Kong placed fifth. The National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University slipped to sixth and eighth respectively.

The QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027 features 1,722 universities across 26 higher education systems, with 195 new entrants.

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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 Asia University Rankings 2027: India leads in research output but top universities slip

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