IISc again tops Indian institutes in global rankings of universities
Overall, a record 91 Indian universities and institutions have made it to this year’s rankings, marking a significant jump from last year’s 75
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) emerged as the top-performing higher educational institution in the country, ranking among the top 250 institutes in the 20th edition of Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings released on Wednesday.
This is the first time since 2017 that Bengaluru-based IISc has ranked among the top 250 universities. Last year, it featured in the 251-300 band.
Overall, a record 91 Indian universities and institutions have made it to this year’s rankings, marking a significant jump from last year’s 75, according to a statement released by the London-based Times Higher Education (THE).
“There are 20 newly ranked universities from India, which means its participation has increased more than any other country in the rankings. Its strongest debutant is Malaviya National Institute of Technology [Jaipur] which ranks in the 601-800 band,” the statement said.
Besides IISc, the other highest-ranked Indian universities are Anna University (Chennai), Jamia Millia Islamia (Delhi), Mahatma Gandhi University (Kottayam, Kerala), Shoolini University (Solan, Himachal Pradesh) — all of them in the top 501-600 band.
Two Indian Institutes of Technology — IIT Guwahati and IIT Dhanbad — moved up two bands from last year’s 1,001-1,200 rankings to feature in the 601-800 band this year.
To be sure, top IITs including IIT Madras, IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi, have not been participating in THE rankings for the last four years citing “transparency” issue.
A total of 1,904 universities from 108 countries and regions were ranked this year, up from 1,799 last year, the statement said. The institutions are ranked against 18 performance indicators — up from 13 last year — grouped into five pillars: teaching, research quality, research environment, international outlook and industry. Of the five new metrics include three that look at research quality and one that examines patents in the industry pillar.
THE’s chief global affairs officer Phil Baty said India is now the fourth best represented nation in the rankings. “India has well and truly embraced the international agenda, and international competition, with an unprecedented 91 universities making it into the rigorous and demanding Times Higher Education World University Rankings this year – making India now the fourth best represented nation in the rankings,” he added.
Overall, University of Oxford ranked as the top higher educational institution globally, followed by Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University.
Several other Indian universities also improved their rankings from last year. While Anna University moved up from the 801-1,000 band last year to 501-600 in 2024 rankings, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) moved up to 601-800 band from 801-1,000 last year. Coimbatore-based Bharathiar University also moved up from 801-1,000 band last year to 601-800 in the rankings released on Wednesday.
“This is great news for India, as these institutions can deploy THE’s rich, international performance benchmarks to further improve and to put themselves rightfully on the world stage,” Baty said. “Although methodological changes this year have not been kind to some Indian institutions, the overall picture remains positive — with a rise into the top 250 for IISc and several other rising institutions.”
An unprecedented 33 Asian universities featured in the top 200 rankings this year, up from 28 last year. The biggest drivers for this jump are China (from 11 to 13) and Japan (from two to five), the statement said.