Overview
- The University of Hong Kong ranks No. 1 in Asia, followed by Peking University, with NUS and NTU tied for third, reflecting top-tier dominance by Hong Kong, China and Singapore.
- IIT Delhi remains India’s highest-placed institution at 59th (down from 44th), with IISc at 64th, IIT Madras 70th and IIT Bombay 71st after a 23-place drop; seven Indian institutions sit in Asia’s top 100.
- All but one of India’s top 10 institutions fell in rank compared with last year, with Chandigarh University the sole improver, rising to 109 from 120.
- The 2026 edition expanded to 1,529 institutions with 552 debut entries, as China added 261 new universities and India 137, increasing competition and volatility.
- QS cites weaker scores for Indian institutions in citations per paper, faculty‑student ratio and internationalisation, even as India leads Asia in papers per faculty and faculty with PhDs, and its overall presence has grown to 294 universities over a decade praised by the prime minister.