India leads Asia’s higher education rankings

India leads in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2025, reflecting its expanding prominence in higher education and research. With 163 institutions ranked, India outpaces China for the second consecutive year.

India has emerged as the top-represented nation in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2025, underscoring the strength of its higher education system and its standing as a prominent research hub. With 163 ranked institutions, including 22 new additions, India expanded its lead over China (135), marking its second consecutive year at the top, according to Quacquarelli Symonds’ latest ranking report. The rankings analyze 984 universities across 25 Asian nations, with India’s robust performance reflecting a 61% growth since the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) climbed to 44th place, overtaking last year’s leader, IIT Bombay, which fell to 48th. Among Indian institutions, 59 advanced in rank, 51 dropped, and 31 remained stable. India’s strongest metrics included “academic reputation” and “employer reputation,” where 75% and 73% of its universities, respectively, improved.

Research productivity is another key strength; four of Asia’s top five institutions for “papers per faculty” are Indian, led by Anna University. Eight Indian universities also ranked highly in “staff with PhD,” reflecting strong expertise among faculty. Jessica Turner, QS CEO, remarked, “India’s academic prowess is illustrated through remarkable research output and an exceptional number of PhD-trained faculty, setting a benchmark for regional and global peers.”

However, India faces challenges in internationalisation. In the “international students” indicator, the highest-ranked institution, Amity University, placed only 87th. Despite a growing outbound student population, attracting international students to India remains difficult, though QS notes that policy reforms may help India reach its goal of hosting 500,000 international students by 2047. Ashwin Fernandes, QS executive director, highlighted that NEP 2020’s goal of achieving a 50% gross enrolment ratio by 2035 emphasizes India’s commitment to expanding access to education and enhancing its global standing.