Pune: India has emerged as Asia’s leading higher education system for research output per faculty member in the QS World University Rankings Asia 2027, even as several of its top universities slipped in the regional rankings amid intensifying competition.
The country remains Asia’s second most represented higher education system, with 325 universities featured in the latest edition, including 34 new entrants.
Released by international higher education experts QS Quacquarelli Symonds on November 3, 2026, the QS World University Rankings Asia 2027 features 1,722 universities across 26 higher education systems, with 195 new institutions joining the rankings this year.
India’s representation has grown more than thirteenfold since 2016, from 24 ranked institutions to 325 in 2027.
This represents an increase of more than 1,250%, significantly outpacing the growth recorded by other major Asian higher education systems, including Mainland China, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea.
However, the expanded rankings have brought increased competition for Indian institutions. All six of India’s highest-ranked universities have declined in the latest edition, including several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
IIT Delhi Remains India’s Highest-Ranked University
The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) remains India’s highest-ranked institution in the QS World University Rankings Asia 2027, placing 66th, compared with 59th in the previous edition.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore ranks 79th, followed by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) at 83rd and IIT Madras at 85th.
IIT Kharagpur and IIT Kanpur rank 90th and 97th, respectively, both declining from their previous positions.
The University of Delhi has also slipped out of Asia’s top 100, moving from 95th in 2026 to 106th in 2027.
Despite the broader decline among leading institutions, several Indian universities have improved their positions. Chandigarh University, Lovely Professional University and Jamia Millia Islamia are among the institutions climbing the rankings.
India has increased its representation in Asia’s top 200 universities to 21, compared with 20 last year and 17 in 2018.
India Leads Asia in Research Output per Faculty
The QS World University Rankings Asia 2027 highlights India’s strong research output relative to academic staff, measured through QS’ Papers per Faculty indicator.
Twenty-seven Indian universities feature among Asia’s top 50 for this indicator, including five in the regional top 10. India has more universities in the top 10 than any other higher education system, with Mainland China following with three.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore ranks first in Asia for Papers per Faculty, while IIT Madras ranks third.
IIT Delhi ranks seventh, IIT Roorkee eighth and IIT Ropar ninth.
India’s representation in the top 50 for Papers per Faculty has increased from 10 universities in 2018 to 27 in 2027. Papers per Faculty is also the only indicator in which more Indian universities have improved than declined year-on-year.
According to QS, the performance reflects India’s efforts to expand research capacity across its universities.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 placed research at the centre of higher education reform, while the establishment of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) in 2024 supports initiatives to broaden research capacity, connect established and emerging institutions, and encourage private-sector participation.
India also introduced a ₹1 lakh crore research and development fund in 2025.
Despite the expansion in research output, national research and development investment remains around 0.64% of GDP, highlighting the scale of research activity relative to investment.
Doctoral Capacity Strengthens India’s Research Performance
India’s research output is supported by its growing doctoral capacity.
Fifteen Indian universities share first place in Asia for Staff with PhD, a measure of the proportion of academic staff holding doctoral qualifications. This is more than double the number recorded by the next strongest-performing higher education system, Iran.
Indian universities also account for 47 of Asia’s top 100 institutions for this indicator, up from 16 in 2018.
By 2022, India ranked third globally for the number of science and engineering PhDs, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology. Doctoral enrolment nearly tripled between 2014-15 and 2023-24.
The growth has been supported by expanded doctoral provision at institutions such as the IITs and IISc, alongside NEP 2020 reforms that have created more direct pathways into doctoral study.
However, QS noted that India’s doctoral capacity and research output have not translated into comparable citation impact. Only three Indian universities feature in Asia’s top 50 for Citations per Paper, with just one in the top 10.
Research Impact and Internationalisation Remain Areas for Improvement
The QS World University Rankings Asia 2027 identifies research impact, reputation and international engagement as key areas where India can strengthen its higher education performance.
Despite strong research output per faculty member, India’s universities continue to lag behind the regional average in several internationalisation indicators, including International Faculty, International Students and student exchange.
QS also noted that most Indian institutions with comparable ranks declined in Academic Reputation and Employer Reputation.
India’s average International Research Network score among 35 universities ranked in both 2018 and 2027 has almost doubled, rising from 40.2 to 79.7.
The average Academic Reputation score has also increased from 29.5 to 52.7, outperforming the rest of Asia over the same period.
Recent ANRF initiatives increasingly emphasise research quality, collaboration and real-world impact alongside publication volume.
IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi Lead India in Employer Reputation
Employer Reputation remains a relative strength for India’s leading institutions.
IIT Bombay ranks seventh in Asia for Employer Reputation, while IIT Delhi ranks 10th. These are the first Indian universities to enter Asia’s top 10 for the indicator.
Six Indian universities now feature in Asia’s top 50 for Employer Reputation, compared with five in the previous edition.
The performance is significant given the scale of India’s higher education system and labour market. Around 45 million students were enrolled in higher education in 2023-24, as demand for graduate talent continued to evolve.
Graduate employability has improved in recent years, particularly in technology, according to the India Skills Report. However, employers continue to highlight skills mismatches and graduate readiness as concerns.
QS noted that employer recognition remains concentrated among a relatively small group of universities, despite the scale of India’s labour market.
Chandigarh University Achieves Record Ranking
Chandigarh University has achieved its highest-ever position in the QS World University Rankings Asia 2027, placing 104th, compared with 109th in 2026.
The university’s improvement follows significant gains in International Research, Citations per Paper and Papers per Faculty.
Other Indian institutions recording notable improvements include:
Lovely Professional University: Climbed from 187th to 154th.
Jawaharlal Nehru University: Improved from 130th to 128th.
Symbiosis International: Climbed from 200th to 175th.
Amity University: Improved from 187th to 181st.
Jamia Millia Islamia: Climbed from 197th to 183rd.
Manipal Academy of Higher Education: Entered Asia’s top 200 at 195th.
Woxsen University advanced 195 places to 499th, entering Asia’s top 500 following gains in nine QS indicators.
Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology Jalandhar climbed 180 places to 486th, while Jain University advanced 221 places to 374th.
GLA University was India’s most improved university among institutions with an individual rank, climbing nearly 300 places to 491st.
University of Hong Kong Retains Asia’s Top Position
The University of Hong Kong retained the top position in the QS World University Rankings Asia 2027 for the second consecutive year.
Peking University remained second, while Tsinghua University climbed from ninth to third, giving Mainland China two universities in Asia’s top three for the first time since 2023.
City University of Hong Kong placed fourth, while The Chinese University of Hong Kong ranked fifth.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), which shared third place in the previous edition, dropped to sixth and eighth, respectively.
Hong Kong SAR was the most represented higher education system in Asia’s top 10, with five universities.
QS Experts Highlight India’s Research Potential
QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter said: “India has built remarkable research capacity. Its universities lead Asia for the number of institutions in the top 10 for Papers per Faculty, and 15 share first place for Staff with PhD. The challenge now is to translate this strength more consistently into research impact and international recognition.
Although several leading institutions have fallen in this year’s rankings as competition grows across Asia, India has a strong foundation on which to build. Continued investment in research quality, international partnerships and global visibility will help sustain its progress.”
QS Vice President, Strategic and International Engagement, Ashwin Fernandes said: “India’s higher education system is expanding rapidly, and these results show the strength of its research output, doctoral capacity and the reputation of its leading universities among employers.
The National Education Policy 2020 and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation provide a framework for the next stage of development. Deeper international research partnerships, more international faculty and students, and closer links with industry can help ensure that research produced on this scale achieves greater impact.
With foreign universities opening campuses in India and Indian institutions expanding overseas, the country has an opportunity to become a major global centre for education and research.”
