New Delhi: India scripted a huge achievement of late in the education field, which has largely gone unnoticed. This is because, unfortunately, education receives scarce attention in a country obsessed with politics, cricket, Bollywood and wars. New reforms and fresh initiatives in the education sector are rudimentary, but sadly, these are often given a short shrift.
At a time when education in India is facing challenges galore comes a good news — which offers a ray of hope. The QS World University Rankings 2026, released on June 19, underscores India’s strongest showing yet. Out of 8,000 educational institutions and universities from 106 countries, 1,501 were ranked this year, including 112 which made their entry for the first time.
A massive leap
What is heartening is that a record 54 institutions from India found place in this coveted list — the highest number to date for the country. This feat puts India ahead of countries like Germany (48) and Japan (47). It makes India the fourth most represented country in the rankings, behind only the US, the UK, and China. It is to be noted that in 2014, merely 11 educational institutions from India made it in the prestigious rankings.
So, it’s a huge leap indeed — from 11 to 54. In other words, India has seen a massive 390 percent growth — nearly five times more — over the past 10 years. This amazing progress has come not just from top public institutions like the 12 IITs, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, Delhi University, Anna University, and Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, but also from several private universities that have made a huge impact.
This is not just about numbers — it also shows that despite the prevailing challenges, the quality of Indian higher education is getting better and more competitive around the world.
This year, almost 48 percent of Indian institutions in the QS rankings went up, while only 20 percent dropped. Undoubtedly, the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) – 2020 has gone a long way in bringing about this steady improvement. However, still more needs to be done.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has rightly said that NEP 2020 is not just changing the academic landscape, but transforming it in a truly revolutionary way. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “The QS World University Rankings have brought excellent news for our education system. Our government is committed to strengthening the ecosystem of research and innovation for the benefit of India’s youth.”
Brilliant showing, but long road ahead
India’s brilliant showing in the QS World University Rankings 2026 is laudable, and the steps taken to better the education system are truly praiseworthy. However, we can’t deny the fact that this success is still mostly restricted to IITs, central universities, and a few other prime institutions. A large number of universities nationwide are still reeling under fund crunch, dearth of qualified teachers, outdated labs, low research work, negligible focus on new ideas, and hardly any ties with foreign universities.
It is also a matter of great concern that approximately 1.8 million Indian students are at presently studying at foreign universities, with an estimated Rs 5 lakh crore spent each year on their education. The pertinent question is: Can we prevent this trend of large-scale student migration by strengthening our higher education system and offering world-class opportunities within the country?
Improving standing on QS World University Rankings is a truly commendable feat, but let not complacency take over —there is still a long road ahead in ensuring quality, accessibility and international competitiveness at all levels of higher education in India.
