QS Asia University Rankings, IIT Delhi overcomes IIT Bombay as the top university in India.

 

In the 'Staff with PhD' category, IISc, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Ropar, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Mfg Kancheepuram, IISER Bhopal, and IIT Bhubaneswar are tied for second place.

 

 

 

 

IIT Delhi rose from 46th to 44th place, capturing the national top spot and surpassing IIT Bombay, which dropped from 40th to 48th place in the area the previous year. (A picture that represents)

In the "QS World University Rankings: Asia 2025," the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) has risen to the top of the Indian rankings because of gains in eight measures, particularly the number of PhD-holding personnel, which saw a 58-place increase.

 

In the meantime, second place went to the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB). Ranking 27th in academic reputation and 16th in employer reputation, it continues to be the nation's highly regarded institution among foreign scholars and employers. 

IIT Delhi rose from 46th to 44th place regionally, surpassing IIT Bombay, the leader from the previous year, which dropped from 40th to 48th place. This improvement placed  IIT Delhi at the top of the national rankings. 

Not only has IIT Bombay experienced a dip, but reputable colleges including IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IISc, and IIT Kanpur have also seen a decline in their ranks. IIT Madras experienced a three-year decline (from 53 to 56 this year), whereas IIT Bombay saw an eight-rank decline. IIT Kanpur and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) both observed four-rank drops this year, with IIT-K dropping from 63 to 67 and IISc dropping from 58 to 62. However, she only lost one place at IIT Kharagpur, dropping from 59th to 60th this year.

 

Rank 2025	Rank 2024	Institution
44	46	Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD)
48	40	Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB)
56	53	Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM)
60	59	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP)
62	58	Indian Institute of Science
67	63	Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK)
81	94	University of Delhi
104	111	Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG)
108	116	Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR)
110	117	Jawaharlal Nehru University
120	149	Chandigarh University
148	218	University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES)
150	163	Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT)
168	213	Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences
171	215	Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
173	210	Savitribai Phule Pune University
177	179	Anna University
179	187	University of Calcutta
183	186	Amity University
188	206	Jamia Millia Islamia
197	210	Manipal Academy of Higher Education – Manipal University (MAHE)

 

The central university, the University of Delhi (DU), jumped from 94 to 81 this year, an impressive 13-ranking increase. IIT Guwahati placed eighth in India despite having a regional ranking of 104th. IIT Roorkee, which is ranked 108th regionally, and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which is ranked 110th regionally, are the other two universities in the top 10 (India).

 

The University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) came in at 148th position, followed by Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) at 150th position Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences at 168th position, and Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) at 171st position placing Pilani in the top 15 in India. Chandigarh University came in at eleventh position (120th rank).

 

Asia's second-most improved university, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), rose an amazing 70 spots to 148th place in the list of universities. In nine of QS's measures, it has improved. 

 

According to the data, more Indian universities have experienced growth as opposed to decline. 163 Indian universities took part in the QS rankings this year. Of them, 31 universities have stayed steady in their ranks or bands, 51 have fallen, and 59 have risen in the chart. 

 

In terms of reputation measures, Indian colleges have excelled, making them the most improved in the nation. Seventy-five percent of its previously ranked universities have improved their academic reputation, and seventy-three percent have improved their employer reputation. 

 

One of the main advantages of Indian institutions is their research activity. It's interesting to see that four Indian universities rank among the top five in Asia for papers per faculty. Anna University is ranked second in the region.

 

Indian Universities in Region’s Top 10 in Papers Per Faculty
Overall Rank	Institution	Indicator Score	Indicator Rank	Indicator Change
177	Anna University	100	2	-1
521-540	Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal	100	3	-1
62	Indian Institute of Science	100	4	0
221	Bharathiar University, Coimbatore	99.8	5	1
104	Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG)	98.9	9	1

 

 

Remarkably, eight Indian universities are tied for second position in the area of "Staff with PhD."These include the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing Kancheepuram, IISER Bhopal, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Ropar, and IIT Bhubaneswar.

 

 

Indian Universities Tied in Second in Staff with PhD
Overall Rank	Institution	Indicator Score	Indicator Rank	Indicator Change
62	Indian Institute of Science	99.9	2	-1
56	Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM)	99.9	2	-1
60	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP)	99.9	2	-1
67	Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK)	99.9	2	-1
521-540	Indian Institute of Technology Ropar	99.9	2	-1
701-750	Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Mfg Kancheepuram	99.9	2	-1
501-520	Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal	99.9	2	-1
421-430	Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar	99.9	2	-1

 

The top four regionally remain unchanged from year to year. The University of Hong Kong is ranked second, and Peking University is ranked first. The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), both in Singapore, rank third and fourth, respectively. China's Fudan University comes over its native Tsinghua University, which falls to seventh place, to take fifth place.

 

QS World University Rankings: Asia 2025 – Top 10
2025 Rank	2024 Rank	Institution	Country/Territory
1	1	Peking University	China (Mainland)
2	2	The University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong SAR
3	3	National University of Singapore (NUS)	Singapore
4	4	Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)	Singapore
5	7	Fudan University	China (Mainland)
6	10	The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)	Hong Kong SAR
7	4	Tsinghua University	China (Mainland)
8	6	Zhejiang University	China (Mainland)
9	8	Yonsei University	South Korea
10	17	City University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong SAR

 

"The government's double focus on drawing in foreign students and improving research through international collaboration remains essential considering its unchangeable commitment to improving India's status as a global education giant. This dedication is shown by the student-focused reforms in NEP 2020, which aim to raise the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) by 40% to 50% by 2035. India's preparation for international collaboration is further demonstrated by programs like the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), which permits international universities to open branch campuses with simplified requirements. Dr. Ashwin Fernandes, QS Executive Director for Africa, Middle East & South Asia, stated, "The extensive campus that the University of Southampton plans to build in Gurugram enhances these efforts and highlights India's desire to increase its educational footprint and strengthen its international academic ties."