New Delhi: IIT Delhi has retained its position as the highest-ranked Indian institution in the QS World University Rankings 2027, improving its global standing from 123rd last year to 118th in the latest edition released Wednesday.
Published annually by global higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the rankings evaluate universities across a range of indicators including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, citations per faculty, internationalisation, sustainability and employment outcomes.
According to IIT Delhi, the improvement in its overall ranking was driven by gains across several key parameters. The institute’s ‘Employer Reputation’ indicator improved by 11 places, taking it to the 39th position globally. The metric assesses employers’ perceptions of institutions and the preparedness of their graduates for the workforce.
IIT Delhi also recorded a 60-place jump in the ‘Employment Outcomes’ category, which measures graduate employability and the impact of alumni in their respective fields. Its performance on the ‘Citations per Faculty’ indicator improved by 26 places. The metric reflects the average number of citations received per faculty member and is widely used as a measure of the quality and impact of research produced by universities.
Prof Somnath Baidya Roy, dean, planning, and head, ranking cell, IIT Delhi, said, “IIT Delhi remains committed to the goal of providing world-class affordable technological education and becoming a preferred destination for scholars worldwide. Our revamped curriculum, new infrastructure, and increased international engagement will enhance our quality and impact in the coming years. We see rankings as an outcome, not an objective. If we do the right things for the right reasons, rankings will follow naturally.”
The latest ranking continues IIT Delhi’s upward trajectory over the past four years. The institute has climbed 79 places since the QS World University Rankings 2024, when it was placed at 197 globally.
Earlier this year, IIT Delhi also performed strongly in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. The institute was ranked 36th globally in the ‘Engineering and Technology’ category, while electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, chemical engineering and civil engineering were all placed among the world’s top 50 subjects.
