New Delhi, March 25 -- India's higher education sector has marked a significant global stride, with four IITs, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and BITS Pilani featuring among the world's top 50 institutions across various subjects in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject released on Wednesday. Compiled by London-based QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the rankings mark the 16th edition of this annual assessment.
India has added 20 new institutions this year, taking its total tally of ranked universities to 99. The country has secured 27 top-50 positions across subjects and broad faculty areas, more than double the 12 recorded in 2024, which were achieved by 12 institutions.
Among Indian institutions, IIT Bombay leads with the highest number of subject entries, followed by IIT Kharagpur, University of Delhi, IIT Madras and IIT Delhi. Both IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi have secured positions within the global top 50, underscoring India's growing strength in digital and technology-driven disciplines. Notably, BITS Pilani has made a significant leap in Pharmacy and Pharmacology, rising from 84th to 45th place and entering the global top 50 for the first time.
IIT Delhi continues to be the country's top-ranked institution in the Engineering and Technology category, securing the 36th position globally. Core engineering disciplines have shown marked improvement in the QS Subject Rankings 2026. Electrical Engineering leads with a global rank of 36, followed by Mechanical Engineering (44), Computer Science (45), Chemical Engineering (48) and Civil Engineering (50). In contrast, only Electrical Engineering had featured in the top 50 in 2025, highlighting a significant year-on-year advancement across multiple subjects.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.