Key Highlights
India has reached a new height in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026, with seven of its institutions ranked in the top 100 on the continent, led by IIT Delhi at position 59. This is in a year that Hong Kong, China, and Singapore have dominated at the top. The list highlights the increasing research output of India and the reputation of employers, and heralds the need to work on internationalisation. The entire breakdown, critical points, and the manner in which the indicators jostled this year are as follows.
What’s New in Asia 2026?
The University of Hong Kong comes first in Asia, followed by Peking University, Nanyang Technological University, and the National University of Singapore, which are ranked in the third position. The might of Hong Kong is impressive, with five institutions in the top 10, as HKUST moved to sixth place in the top 10, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University moved to sixth place in the top 10.
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India’s Top Performers This Year
The Joint 59th-ranked IIT Delhi in India is the highest-ranking university in India, which has been driven by employer reputation and high impact of research citation to maintain a five-year streak at the top of its native country. IISc Bangalore comes in 64th and is ranked in terms of research intensity and academic position among indicators.
This is how the rest of the top-notch group in India would appear in the top 100 in Asia in 2026, with a few IITs and the University of Delhi entering the fray.
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IIT Madras: 70
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IIT Bombay: 71
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IIT Kanpur: 77
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IIT Kharagpur: 77
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University of Delhi: 95 (first-time entry given by various reports)
The Regional Picture: Who Dominates the Top 10?
Hong Kong, China, and Singapore are at position 10, and their high faculty, research networks, and performance on citation support this. The top 10, including HKU, Peking, NUS, and NTU, is further supplemented by Fudan, HKUST, CUHK/CityU HK, Tsinghua, and PolyU, which highlight the richness of East Asia.
The Indicators: What QS Measured?
QS Asia employs 11 indicators, a balance between reputation and research and faculty facilities and global perspective: Academic Reputation (30%), Employer Reputation (20%), Citations per Paper (10%), Papers per Faculty (5%), Faculty-Student Ratio (10%), Staff with PhD (5%), International Research Network (10%), International Faculty (2.5%), International Students (2.5%), Inbound Exchange (2.5%), Outbound Exchange (2.5%). The 2026 edition also covers more than 1,500+ institutions across 25 systems, and hundreds of new additions make competition tighter.
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India’s Momentum and What’s Missing?
India has seven in the top 100 this year, and wider coverage throughout the table, indicating an improvement in papers per faculty and research visibility. Analysts comment on Indian pre-eminence in papers per faculty (some Indian universities in the top 10 on that measure in Asia) and a continued increase in overall institutions covered, becoming now the second-most represented regionally. But internationalisation indicators like international faculty and students continue to drag the overall ranks as compared to East Asian leaders.
India’s Expanded List Beyond the Top 100
Beyond the top 100, IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati rank in the category of 150, and further down in the list are VIT Vellore and MAHE, further strengthening the growing presence of India. The increasing representation can be observed through the 1,500+ entries, but there is still a disjunction in the top 50 in 2026.
|
Institution |
Asia Rank |
Notes |
|
IIT Delhi |
59 |
Highest in India; strong employer reputation and citations. |
|
IISc Bangalore |
64 |
Research intensity and academic standing. |
|
IIT Madras |
70 |
Consistent within the top 100. |
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IIT Bombay |
71 |
Slight slip versus prior year, high scores remain. |
|
IIT Kanpur |
77 |
Joint with Kharagpur at 77. |
|
IIT Kharagpur |
77 |
Research and graduate outcomes. |
|
University of Delhi |
95 |
Breaks into the top 100. |
What this Means for Students and Employers
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India has one of the highest moving employer reputations in the form of IIT Delhi and research signal in IISc, wherein students can anticipate improved research-based teaching and employment success.
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The output and citations of talent pools will keep increasing in IITs and IISc, but soft signals, such as international exposure, will change by campus.
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Applicants who are international ought to monitor exchange and international student ratios to measure campus diversity and network access.
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Sources and Embeds
The following is the ranking of the sources of QS Asia:
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Original report centres demonstrate the same trends in the top positions of India and the top positions of Hong Kong.
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The trends in the research and reputation seven-in-top-100 milestone and indicator are replicated in media and education outlets.
Embeds (no-follow):
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YouTube: QS Asia Rankings 2026 explained (example no-follow)
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X/Twitter: IIT Delhi on top in India (no-follow) Economic Times update.
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Facebook: ET post releasing seven Indian institutions in the top 100 (no-follow)
Conclusion
QS Asia University Rankings 2026 puts IIT Delhi at India’s summit and confirms seven Indian institutions in Asia’s top 100, while Hong Kong, China, and Singapore set the regional pace. The results highlight India’s surge in research output and employer visa reputation alongside a clear need to boost international faculty and student presence to close the gap with East Asian leaders.
For applicants and employers, the 2026 table signals depth in India’s STEM core and growing breadth via DU’s entry, with a competitive landscape across 1,500+ institutions.
Use this government source for background on India’s higher education framework: the “Know Your College” portal by the Ministry of Education. To know more about the QS Asia Ranking, visit TerraTern now!
