QS Asia Rankings 2027: 71% of Indian Universities Slip

QS Asia Rankings 2027 show 71% of India’s 325 ranked universities slipped, with IIT Delhi falling to 66th as reputation and global scores declined.

Seven in ten Indian universities fell in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027, according to figures released by QS Quacquarelli Symonds on 3 November 2026, even as India’s count of ranked institutions grew to 325, the second-highest in Asia after mainland China. Of returning Indian universities, 71% slipped, 18% rose and 11% held their place.

The decline reached the very top of the table. All six of India’s highest-ranked institutions moved down, though IIT Delhi stays the best-placed Indian university. Two years ago, India had led the regional table on research output, as Elets covered in India’s showing in the QS Asia Rankings 2025.

How India’s top institutions moved in QS Asia 2027

IIT Delhi: 59th to 66th
IISc Bangalore: 64th to 79th
IIT Bombay: 71st to 83rd
IIT Madras: 70th to 85th
IIT Kharagpur: 77th to 90th
IIT Kanpur: 77th to 97th, the steepest drop inside the top 200 along with UPES
University of Delhi: 95th to 106th, leaving the Asian top 100

Among universities with individual ranks, the sharpest falls were at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam (down 202 places), Osmania University (down 180) and Madurai Kamaraj University (down 173), as reported by The Indian Express.

Which Indian universities improved?

Chandigarh University rose from 109th to 104th, its best rank so far. Lovely Professional University climbed from 187th to 154th and Symbiosis International from 200th to 175th. Among public institutions, IIT Hyderabad moved up to 251st, IIT (BHU) Varanasi to 219th and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad 51 places to 373rd. Dr B R Ambedkar NIT Jalandhar jumped 180 places to 486th.

Jamia Millia Islamia (183rd), Jawaharlal Nehru University (128th) and Aligarh Muslim University (268th) edged up among central universities. The biggest climbs came from private universities such as GLA University, Jain University and Woxsen University.

Why Indian universities slipped in the QS Asia Rankings 2027

QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter said the 71% figure refers to the share of institutions that moved down, not a 71% fall in performance. He added that two-thirds of the Indian universities that lost rank actually improved their overall scores, while IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IISc broadly held theirs. QS put the shift down to tougher competition: 195 new universities entered this year’s table, and Japan and Taiwan also saw more universities fall than rise.

The indicators tell a clear story. Academic Reputation, weighted at 30%, fell for 76% of Indian universities, and Employer Reputation fell for 83%. International student and exchange indicators dropped for 85% to 91% of institutions. Research productivity was the bright spot: Papers per Faculty was the only indicator where more Indian universities rose than fell, with 27 in Asia’s top 50. Employer reputation remains strong at the top, with IIT Bombay seventh and IIT Delhi tenth in Asia, echoing IIT Delhi’s lead in the Global Employability Rankings.

What it means for Indian higher education

The results point to reputation and internationalisation, not research volume, as India’s weak spots. Citation impact also lags, with only three Indian universities in Asia’s top 50 for citations per paper. For institutions that track national NIRF rankings, the QS data suggests that global visibility, research partnerships and student exchange now need as much attention as publication counts. Earlier QS lists had already shown Indian strengths in niche areas, such as IIT Delhi’s lead in the QS Sustainability Rankings.

Key takeaways

India has 325 universities in QS Asia 2027, the second-highest count after mainland China, but 71% of returning institutions fell.
IIT Delhi (66th) stays India’s best; IISc, IIT Bombay and IIT Madras all dropped out of the top 75.
Reputation and international indicators drove the fall, while research productivity improved.