New Delhi, Oct. 1 -- The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has slipped out of the top 250 in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, despite improving its scores in most of the ranking parameters, while India has increased its representation to a record 143 institutions. IISc, which has led India in the rankings in recent years, has been placed at 254th this year, sharing the position with Northeastern University in the US. It was in the 201-250 band in the previous two editions, released in 2025 and 2024. THE said the change in IISc's position reflected increased competition as more universities entered the rankings and the number of institutions covered reached a record 2,297. "Rankings are a zero-sum...