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The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has slipped out of the top 250 in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, despite improving its scores in most of the ranking parameters, while India has increased its representation to a record 143 institutions.
IISc, which has led India in the rankings in recent years, has been placed at 254th this year, sharing the position with Northeastern University in the US. It was in the 201-250 band in the previous two editions, released in 2025 and 2024. THE said the change in IISc’s position reflected increased competition as more universities entered the rankings and the number of institutions covered reached a record 2,297.
“Rankings are a zero-sum exercise and with dramatically increasing competition worldwide, universities have to work hard just to stand still,” a THE spokesperson told HT.
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, is now India’s second-highest-ranked institution, moving from the 351-400 band to 326-350, its highest position yet. THE attributed the improvement primarily to a rise in publications per staff.
Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Himachal Pradesh, retained its position in the 401-500 band and remained India’s third-highest-ranked institution. Jamia Millia Islamia slipped from the 401-500 band in 2026 to 501-550 this year. KIIT University and Lovely Professional University are also in the 501-550 band. Amity University, Banaras Hindu University, Graphic Era University and Manipal Academy of Higher Education are in the 551-600 band.
Central University of Himachal Pradesh and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University are the highest-ranked new Indian entrants, both placed in the 701-800 band.
Among the Indian Institutes of Technology, IIT Indore is in the 651-700 band, followed by IIT Patna in the 701-800 band. IIT Gandhinagar and IIT Mandi are in the 801-1000 band, while IIT Ropar is in the 1001-1200 band.
India has 143 institutions in the 2027 rankings, up from 128 last year, making it the second-most represented country after the US, which has 168 institutions. Turkey follows with 124 and Japan with 112.
THE has also changed its ranking methodology this year by assigning individual positions to institutions up to rank 300, compared with 200 last year. Universities below 300 are placed in progressively broader rank bands.
The 23rd edition of the UK-based ranking covers 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories. Institutions are assessed on 17 performance indicators across five broad areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry impact.
Oxford retained the top position globally for the 11th consecutive year. The US dominates the global top 10 with seven institutions, while the UK accounts for the remaining three.
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