New Delhi, Jun 19: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has hailed the QS World University Rankings 2026, calling it a moment of "immense pride" for India.

“With a record 54 higher education institutions (HEIs) featured among the world’s best, India has reached a new milestone in the QS World University Rankings 2026. From just 11 institutions in 2014 to 54 now, this nearly five-fold increase reflects the transformative educational reforms initiated under Prime Minister @narendramodi ji’s leadership,” Pradhan said in a post on X on Thursday.

He credited the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for revolutionising the country’s education system.

“The NEP is not merely transforming but revolutionising our education landscape. It is a matter of immense pride that India is now the fastest-growing education system among G20 countries and the fourth most represented in the QS rankings -- behind only the US, UK, and China,” he said.

A total of 54 Indian institutions have been ranked in the QS World University Rankings 2026, released on Thursday -- the highest ever for India. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi emerged as the top-ranked Indian institution, climbing from 150th to 123rd globally -- its best performance to date.

"IIT Delhi leads the charge as India’s top-ranked institute. This marks a historic high for the institution in QS rankings," the Ministry of Education posted on X. "India's higher education institutions are witnessing an unprecedented rise globally, with more universities than ever making their mark."

The ministry also noted that India has recorded a staggering 390 per cent growth in representation in QS rankings over the past decade, the fastest among G20 nations.

IIT Bombay, which was India’s top institute in last year’s rankings, slipped from 118th to 129th this year. IIT Madras showed significant improvement, jumping 47 places to rank 180th, up from 227 last year.

For the first time, eight Indian institutions made their debut in the rankings -- the highest number of new entries from any country. With this, India has become the fourth most represented nation globally.

Nearly 48 per cent of India’s ranked universities improved their positions this year. Five Indian institutions also secured positions in the global top 100 for Employer Reputation.

Other Indian institutions on the list include IIT Kharagpur (215), IISc Bangalore (219), and Delhi University (328). Private universities such as BITS Pilani (668) and OP Jindal Global University (851-900) were also featured.

Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained its position at the top for the 14th consecutive year.

(IANS)

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