Mumbai University's performance in the QS World University Rankings 2027 has seen a sharp decline in overall standing, slipping from the 664th position last year to the 901-950 band this year - its lowest ranking in four years.
Contrast in Employment Outcomes
However, the university has delivered a striking contrast in the employment outcomes indicator, where it has surged 70 places to rank 25 globally, higher than even some of the leading IITs, including IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay. This marks one of the most significant single-year improvements across any indicator in this edition, according to the QS press statement.
MU scored 91 and ranked 95 in employment outcomes last year, but in the latest edition its score has risen sharply to 99.5, pushing it to 25th place worldwide. Notably, the University of Delhi has also performed strongly in this metric, with a score of 98.6.
University Leadership Response
MU VC Ravindra Kulkarni said the results reflect the institution's "enduring strengths in graduate employability, alumni impact, institutional reputation, and a multidisciplinary academic ecosystem." He added that following a "careful self-introspection" of its ranking performance, the university has developed a strategic roadmap to strengthen global competitiveness and international standing.
Comparison with IITs
In comparison, several IITs -- despite their strong global reputations -- have recorded lower scores in the employment outcomes' metric. IIT Delhi, Bombay, and Madras recorded employment outcomes scores of 59.6, 78.2, and 53.2. QS notes that this indicator reflects graduate employability, career progression, and the depth of institutional engagement with employers, making it sensitive to placement ecosystems and industry linkages.
“Mumbai and Delhi universities, unlike the IITs, offer diverse programmes and have a larger number of students graduating every year. The IITs have engineering-centered programmes and, therefore, do better when it comes to employability. If the traditional universities have done better than the IITs in the employment outcomes, it seems unrealistic,” said V Ramgopal Rao, group vice-chancellor of BITS-Pilani, also former director of IIT-Delhi.
Expert Analysis
QS India chair and VP for strategic and international engagement, Dr Ashwin Fernandes, said employment outcomes should be read alongside employer reputation, as both metrics assess employability from different perspectives. He noted that while IITs dominate employer reputation rankings, traditional universities such as Mumbai University and Delhi University tend to perform better in employment outcomes, aided by their large alumni base and presence across diverse sectors including business.
Mumbai University's employer reputation score, however, stands at 21, much lower than IIT Bombay's 97.8, highlighting the divergence between perception among employers and measurable career outcomes.
