India has achieved a major academic milestone, with five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Delhi University (DU), and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru securing spots in the top 100 universities in Asia, according to the latest QS Asia University Rankings 2025 released on Tuesday.
The IISc Bengaluru led the Indian pack, maintaining its position as the highest-ranked Indian institution, followed closely by IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, and IIT Kharagpur. The University of Delhi also featured among the top 100, highlighting the growing academic and research reputation of Indian institutions across Asia.
The QS Asia University Rankings, compiled annually by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), assess universities on multiple indicators such as academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, research output, and international collaboration.
Experts say the latest ranking reflects India’s steady rise in higher education, driven by a stronger focus on research innovation, international partnerships, and quality teaching.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan hailed the results, calling it a “testament to India’s growing global academic footprint” and emphasizing the government’s continued support for research and higher education reforms.
China’s Peking University and National University of Singapore (NUS) retained the top two spots in Asia, while Tsinghua University, University of Hong Kong, and KAIST (South Korea) rounded out the top five.
Overall, more than 40 Indian universities made it to the QS Asia list this year — the highest number ever for India, signaling a strong regional presence and continued progress toward becoming a global education hub.