India has hit a new high with 54 universities featuring in the coveted QS world rankings, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Thursday while lauding the performance of the country's universities.
He also asserted that NEP 2020 is not just changing the country's educational landscape, it is revolutionising it.
"With a record 54 HEIs featuring among the global best, India hits a new high in the QS World University 2026 Rankings. From just 11 universities in 2014 to 54 in the latest rankings, this five-fold jump is a testament to the transformative educational reforms ushered by PM @narendramodi ji's govt. In the last decade. NEP 2020 is not just changing our educational landscape, it is revolutionising it," Pradhan said in a post on X.
"Matter of immense pride that India is also the fastest growing education system among G20 countries and the fourth most represented behind only the US, UK and China. Confident that with NEP’s thrust on research, innovation and internationalisation, more Indian HEIs will scale global excellence in the times ahead," he added.
According to the rankings announced this morning, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi is the best-ranked Indian institution in QS World University Rankings for 2026 by climbing up to the 123rd spot with a record 54 universities and institutions from the country making it to the coveted list.
The coveted QS World University Rankings, published annually by London-based global higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds, assess universities based on a variety of performance indicators, including academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, research impact, international student diversity and graduate employability.
With eight new institutions added to the ranking this year, India now has 54 institutions included, making it the fourth most represented country behind only the US (192 institutions), the UK (90 institutions) and Mainland China (72 institutions).
No other country or territory has seen as many universities added to the ranking this year. Jordan and Azerbaijan are second most improved and have both seen six added in 2026 rankings.
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