IIT-Bombay campus.
Credit: X/@iitbombay
New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay has retained its top position in India in the QS World University Rankings-Asia and India has surpassed China in the number of ranked universities.
According to the rankings announced on Wednesday, India is now the 'most represented higher education system', with 148 featured universities, 37 more than last year. It is followed by Mainland China with 133 and Japan with 96. Myanmar, Cambodia and Nepal featured in the rankings for the first time.
Like last year, IISc Bangalore, Delhi University and five Indian Institutes of Technology -- Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur -- have secured positions in the elite top 100 institutes in Asia.
"The increasing visibility of Indian universities in the QS rankings reflects the dynamic expansion of India's higher education landscape. While the significant growth in the number of Indian institutions and their research contributions marks a noteworthy development in the region's educational profile, it also illuminates the path ahead for India to further elevate its standing in the global academic community," said Ben Sowter, Senior Vice President at QS.
While India falls below the regional average in academic reputation and employer reputation, it has achieved the second-best regional results in the papers per faculty metric among the higher education systems with more than 10 universities ranked.
"India achieves its best average score for the staff with PhD indicator, signalling strong research output and a highly qualified faculty body. This performance shows the potential for Indian institutions to leverage their academic rigor and research capabilities to further enhance their global standing,” a statement by the QS said.
"India's performance in the international research network indicator, with a score of 15.4, falls slightly below the regional average of 18.8. This is indicative of a broader pattern evident across all internationalization indicators, where India appears to be striving to balance two ambitious goals: catering to the educational needs of its vast domestic student population and enhancing its appeal to international students. Achieving proficiency in both domains simultaneously presents a significant challenge, particularly at a pace that matches global trends,” it added.
According to QS, India's outbound student mobility marks a significant milestone, exceeding China's for the first time in 15 years with a notable increase in students pursuing education in the US, while concurrently, the country works to enhance its appeal to international students.