New Delhi, April 24 -- The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has emerged as India's top-performing institution in the Asia University Rankings 2026 released by Times Higher Education (THE) on Thursday, securing the 43rd position, though it slipped from 38th last year. It remains the only Indian institute in the top 50. Like last year, IISc Bengaluru is also the only Indian institution in the top 100. India has 12 institutions in the top 200 this year, down from 14 in 2025. Four universities - Lovely Professional University, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology and University of Delhi - are jointly ranked at 197, having moved up from the 201-250 band. THE ranked 929 universities from 36 countries in this edition, compared to 853 from 35 countries last year. India is the most-represented nation with 128 institutions, followed by Japan (115) and Turkey (109). Last year, 107 Indian institutions featured in the rankings. THE, the UK-based organisation that specialises in higher education data, assigns precise ranks up to the top 200 and groups the rest into bands. Rankings are based on 18 performance indicators across teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry income. Universities from China dominate the top 10, holding five spots, while institutions from Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong also feature. Of the 12 Indian institutions in top 200, nine improved their positions....