India’s premier higher education institutions have shown mixed but notable performance in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, with strong gains in engineering, management and computer science. Leading the Indian contingent are Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.
IIT-ISM Dhanbad retained its position as India’s top performer in Engineering – Mineral & Mining, ranking 21 globally, just one place lower than last year. IIM Ahmedabad also secured the 21st rank in both Business & Management Studies and Marketing, marking a strong debut in the latter subject. IIT Kharagpur emerged as a major gainer jumping 23 positions to rank 22 in Mineral & Mining Engineering entering the global top 25.
Mixed Trends in Engineering and Technology
Despite subject level gains the broader Engineering and Technology category saw several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) drop in rankings. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi fell from 26 to 36 while Indian Institute of Technology Bombay dropped from 28 to 42. Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur slipped from 72 to 86.
QS said that the main reasons for this drop were lower employer reputation scores and fewer citations in research. For example, IIT Bombay's employer reputation score went down from 88.6 to 84.3, and IIT Delhi's went down from 87.2 to 83.5. The rankings also showed that competition between schools around the world was getting tougher, with schools like Seoul National University and University College London moving up a lot.
Strong Growth in Computer Science
A major highlight for India is its rapid rise in Computer Science and Information Systems. The country recorded 44 entries in this category, up from 42 last year, even as countries like the US, UK, Germany and France saw declines.
All six Indian institutions in the global top 100 improved their positions. IIT Bombay led at rank 44 (up from 76), followed by IIT Delhi at 45 (from 64). Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur ranked 65, IIT Kharagpur 67 and Indian Institute of Technology Madras stood at 79. Vellore Institute of Technology, ranked 86, remained the only private Indian institution in the top 100 for this subject.
Expanding Presence but Persistent Gaps
Overall, 99 Indian institutions featured in the rankings this year up from 79 last year placing India fourth globally after the US, China and the UK. Challenges remain. In Arts and Humanities no Indian institution made it to the top 100. University of Delhi dropped to 231 from 160 while Jawaharlal Nehru University fell to 260.
Similarly, in Life Sciences and Medicine, no Indian institution entered the top 100. All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi ranked 105 in Medicine, improving from 145 last year.
Among private institutions, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences ranked 25 in Dentistry while OP Jindal Global University secured 35th position in Law.
The rankings, covering nearly 1,900 institutions across 100 countries, highlight India’s growing global academic footprint, even as gaps in certain disciplines persist.
