Why in News?

• The QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026, released by global higher education analyst QS Quacquarelli Symonds, revealed a decline in the rankings of most top Indian institutions.
• Despite improvement in absolute scores, 9 out of 10 leading Indian universities—including seven IITs—fell in rank due to stronger performance by universities from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Malaysia.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Key Highlights of QS Asia Rankings 2026
• Reasons Behind India’s Relative Decline
• Decline in Key Performance Metrics of Indian Institutes
• Positive Aspects
• Comparative Regional Trends
• Way Forward for Indian Institutions
• Conclusion

Key Highlights of QS Asia Rankings 2026:

• Top performers in Asia:
  • The University of Hong Kong topped the rankings, overtaking Peking University (China), which slipped to second place.
  • National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) shared the third position.
  • East and Southeast Asian universities—especially from China, South Korea, and Malaysia—showed consistent upward mobility, driven by investment in research collaboration and internationalisation.
• Performance of Indian institutions:
  • 
  • Among the top Indian universities, IIT Delhi retained its position as India’s best institution but fell 15 places to 59th (from 44th in 2025).
  • IIT Bombay witnessed the sharpest decline, dropping 23 places to 71st.
  • Other IITs—Madras, Kanpur, and Kharagpur—also recorded their lowest ranks in recent years.
  • The only Indian institution showing improvement was Chandigarh University, rising from 120 to 109.

Reasons Behind India’s Relative Decline:

• Intensifying regional competition:
  • Universities in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia have significantly improved in research productivity, faculty resources, and global engagement.
  • QS noted a “clear eastward concentration” of top performance in higher education.
• Expanded ranking scope and competition:
  • The 2026 rankings included 1,529 institutions, adding 552 new entrants.
  • China added 261 new institutions—more than any other country—while India added 137, bringing its total to 294.
  • The expansion increased competition and volatility in the results.

Decline in Key Performance Metrics of Indian Institutes:

• Citations per paper (research impact):
  • IIT Delhi (31.5), IIT Bombay (20.0), and IIT Madras (20.3) scored significantly below Asian peers scoring in the high 90s.
  • Indicates lower research visibility and fewer highly cited publications.
• Faculty-student ratio:
  • IITs face resource constraints and large class sizes.
  • Scores range from 16.5 (IIT Kharagpur) to 40.9 (IIT Delhi), compared to 80–90 among top Asian universities.
• Internationalisation metrics:
  • Poor performance in International Student Ratio (ISR) and International Faculty indicators.
  • IITs scored between 2.5 (IIT Kharagpur) and 12.3 (IIT Roorkee).
  • Lack of foreign student or faculty participation limits global exposure and cross-border collaboration. 

Positive Aspects:

• Indian institutions maintained strong scores (80–90 range) in:
  • Academic reputation
  • Employer reputation
  • Staff with PhD
  • Papers per faculty
• India continues to expand its footprint with 294 universities represented in the 2026 rankings, the second highest in Asia after China.

Comparative Regional Trends:

• China and Hong Kong: Sustained dominance with large-scale investment in R&D.
• South Korea: Universities like Yonsei and Korea University show upward mobility due to strategic investment in international partnerships.
• Malaysia: Institutions such as University of Malaya and University of Putra Malaysia improved rankings, aided by faculty-student ratio and international faculty/student metrics.

Way Forward for Indian Institutions:

• Enhance research impact: Focus on high-quality publications and internationally co-authored research to improve citations per paper.
• Improve faculty-student ratio: Recruit more faculty and expand infrastructure to reduce student load per teacher.
• Promote internationalisation: Facilitate foreign student exchange, visiting faculty, and global academic collaborations.
• Strengthen research ecosystem: Incentivise interdisciplinary and industry-linked research, ensuring global visibility.
• Policy support: Government and institutions must align policies with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 goals of global competitiveness and innovation.

Conclusion:

• The QS Asia Rankings 2026 underscore a concerning trend for Indian higher education—while absolute performance has improved, relative standing has fallen due to stronger regional competitors.
• To climb the global ladder, India must bridge gaps in research impact, faculty resources, and internationalisation, aligning with the NEP 2020 vision of making Indian universities globally competitive and innovation-driven.