As many as 12 Indian higher education institutions secured 27 top-50 spots in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by subject, nearly doubling their 2024 tally, even as several top institutes, including five IITs and JNU, saw declines in specific disciplines. Two Indian institutions—IIT Bombay (44th) and IIT Delhi (45th)—have broken into the global top 50 for computer science subjects for the first time. (Representative photo)

According to the 16th edition of the QS subject-wise rankings announced on Wednesday, two Indian institutions—IIT Bombay (44th) and IIT Delhi (45th)—have broken into the global top 50 for computer science subjects for the first time.

The Indian School of Mines (ISM) Dhanbad, ranked 21st globally in mineral and mining engineering, and IIM Ahmedabad, which ranks 21st in both business and management studies and marketing, are among the top-ranked Indian institutions.

Despite these gains, the ‘Engineering and Technology’ broad faculty area saw a dip in rankings for several flagship campuses compared to 2025. IIT Delhi fell from 26th in 2025 to 36th, IIT Bombay dropped from 28th to 42nd, IIT Madras slid from 53rd to 62nd, IIT Kharagpur fell from 60th to 64th, and IIT Kanpur moved from 72nd to 86th in 2026.

Additionally, while Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) maintained a strong 26th position in Development Studies, it saw a sharp drop in Politics & International Studies, falling from 75th last year to 95th.

“It is important to note that the rankings are relative and that these results do not suggest that IIT-D and IIT-B have not got worse, but that global competitors have improved at a faster pace. For both IITs, the employer reputation score has dropped more significantly than the academic reputation indicator. This highlights the importance of ensuring that graduates have the right skills that employers are seeking. Both have seen their scores in the citations indicator fall this year too,” QS said in response to HT’s queries.

In the broad ‘Engineering and Technology’ faculty area, IIT Delhi’s employer reputation score in 2026 is 83.5 out of 100, compared to 87.2 in 2025. Its academic reputation score is 84.9, compared to 85.5 in 2025. IIT Bombay’s employer reputation score in 2026 is 84.3 out of 100, compared to 88.6 in 2025. Its academic reputation score is 85.9, compared to 86.6 in 2025.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject covers more than 50 narrow subjects across five broad faculty areas: Arts and Humanities; Engineering and Technology; Life Sciences and Medicine; Natural Sciences; and Social Sciences and Management.

QS uses five indicators for its rankings: Academic Reputation (which measures the reputation of institutions and their programmes among academic experts); Employer Reputation (which measures their reputation among employers); Citations per Paper (which assesses the impact and quality of scientific work per publication); H-index (which attempts to measure both the productivity and impact of a scholar’s published work); and International Research Network (which evaluates an institution’s success in creating and sustaining global research partnerships).

According to QS data, a total of 99 Indian institutions, including 20 making their debut, have made 599 entries across 55 disciplines in the 2026 subject-wise rankings. This makes India the fourth-largest higher education system in the rankings by entry count, trailing only the United States (3,645 entries), the United Kingdom (1,919 entries), and China (1,377 entries). Overall, 265 of India’s 599 entries in 2026 improved on last year’s position—a 44% improvement rate that is the highest among systems with 10 or more institutions, ahead of the UAE (41%), and the UK, Indonesia, and Colombia (40%). While 134 entries remained the same and 80 dropped, a total of 120 entries were new to the rankings this year.

IIT Delhi, ranked 36 globally, leads the 18 Indian institutions ranked under the ‘Engineering and Technology’ broad faculty area; IIT Bombay, ranked 78 globally, leads 22 Indian institutes under the ‘Natural Sciences’ broad faculty area; IIM Ahmedabad, ranked 66 globally, leads 17 Indian institutes in the ‘Social Sciences & Management’ category; All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, at 217th position globally, leads the eight Indian institutions in the ‘Life Sciences & Medicine’ broad faculty area; and the University of Delhi, at 231st position globally, leads the five Indian institutions in the ‘Arts & Humanities’ broad faculty area.

IIT Delhi’s dean (planning) and head of ranking cell, Somnath Baidya Roy, said, “IIT Delhi provides world-class, affordable education to students who go on to become leaders in academia, industry, business, and government. Even though rankings do not capture the entire gamut of our activities, they are definitely an acknowledgement of the hard work we put in.”

QS Quacquarelli Symonds CEO Jessica Turner said, “India’s rise this year is not just about scale: it’s about momentum in quality and global competitiveness. The breadth of improvement across engineering, technology and business signals a system that is accelerating with intent. The next phase will be defined by how effectively institutions deepen research strength, build global partnerships, and sharpen their distinctiveness on the world stage.”

BITS Pilani, at 45th, leads the four Indian institutions in the top 100 in the Pharmacy and Pharmacology subject category. “BITS Pilani’s performance in the QS 2026 Rankings reflects the dedication and spirit of our faculty, researchers, and students. It demonstrates our growing leadership across science, engineering, technology and management, driven by sustained investment in research, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. This recognition strengthens our resolve to build a globally engaged, research-driven university that nurtures talent and creates meaningful impact well beyond rankings,” group vice-chancellor of BITS Pilani, V. Ramgopal Rao, said.