QS Asia University Rankings 2027: India expands footprint with 325 ranked universities

India has strengthened its position as Asia's second-largest higher education system, placing 325 universities in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027. The country added 34 new institutions to the regional league table—the second-highest addition after Mainland China—taking Indian representation to nearly one-fifth of all ranked universities in Asia.

India's presence in the regional rankings has expanded more than 13-fold since 2016, reflecting national investments in educational infrastructure and academic output. Indian institutions demonstrated clear dominance in scientific output, with five universities placing in the Asian top 10 for research publications relative to faculty size. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore took the top spot in Asia for Papers Per Faculty, accompanied in the top 10 by IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee, and IIT Ropar.

Research volume and employer strength

Faculty qualifications across Indian universities also set regional benchmarks. Fifteen Indian institutions shared first place in Asia for their proportion of academic staff holding doctoral degrees, with 47 Indian universities featuring in the regional top 100 for this metric. Employers expressed high confidence in Indian graduates, propelling IIT Bombay to seventh and IIT Delhi to 10th in Asia for employer reputation—the first time Indian institutions have broken into the regional top 10 on this indicator.

Intense regional competition across 1,722 evaluated institutions led to minor position shifts for established premier campuses. IIT Delhi retained its position as the top-ranked institution in the country at 66th position, down from 59th in the previous edition, while IISc Bangalore moved to 79th and IIT Bombay to 83rd. Meanwhile, several universities achieved significant gains, with Chandigarh University climbing to a historic high of 104th and Lovely Professional University advancing to 154th.

Policy frameworks driving growth

Policy initiatives including National Education Policy 2020 and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation are establishing structured frameworks for internationalisation and institutional growth. Quacquarelli Symonds senior vice president Ben Sowter noted that India has built remarkable research capacity, adding that continued focus on research quality, global visibility, and international partnerships will sustain the nation's upward trajectory.

Quacquarelli Symonds vice president Ashwin Fernandes highlighted that expanded links with global industry and international academic exchange will enable India's high publication volumes to achieve even greater global visibility in the coming years.