NEW DELHI: IIT-Delhi has clinched top spot among Indian universities in the recently released 2025 QS Asia University Rankings. At 44th spot in the continent – up two places in one year – the Delhi institute has overtaken IIT-Bombay, which is at 48th, down eight places since the last evaluation. Six Indian universities are ranked among Asia’s top 100.
Key factors behind IIT-D’s ascent include impact of research conducted, enhanced academic reputation and a rising proportion of its faculty holding PhDs. “There’s a lot of emphasis on tech advancement, startups and solving problems that will help society,” said Prof Vivek Buwa, head of IIT-D’s ranking cell and dean of planning.
Research & global tie-ups key to driving IIT-D to top
Following IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay ranks second among Indian institutions, securing 48th place—though it dropped eight spots compared to the previous year. Several other Indian institutions also made notable appearances in the rankings, though many saw slight declines. IIT Madras fell from 53rd to 56th, IISc Bangalore dropped from 58th to 62nd, and IIT Kanpur slipped from 63rd to 67th from last time.
IIT Delhi’s rise to the top rank in India can be attributed to significant improvements across several key metrics assessed by the QS Rankings. One of the standout factors driving this success was its performance in ‘citations per paper,’ a metric that gauges research impact by measuring the average number of citations each published paper receives. ‘Papers/publications per faculty’ is also a significant indicator in which the institute scored 95 out of 100. With a total strength of close to 640 regular faculty positions, the institute maintained an average of seven publications per faculty per year.
“We collaborate with both domestic and international companies, as well as govt labs in India,” said Buwa. “Under the Institutions of Eminence initiative, over Rs 200 crore was allocated to establish state-of-the-art research infrastructure and equipment. We also used our own resources. These investments significantly boosted both the quality and quantity of our research output.”
Regarding the ‘academic reputation’ parameter, IIT Delhi scored 75.4 out of 100, reflecting strong performance across various sub-categories. One of the key areas where the institute excels is ‘employment reputation,’ where it achieved a score of 99 out of 100 among Asian universities. “We have a dedicat ed office focused on attracting leading global companies to partner with us. Additionally, our alumni play a vital role in strengthening our reputation. We also scored 95 in the ’employer reputation’ category, which further underscores our global standing.”
The institute actively seeks feedback from academics worldwide and takes strategic steps to enhance its global presence. “Our Abu Dhabi campus is an integral part of this vision. In Jan, we launched a master’s programme there, and in Sept, we introduced two undergraduate programmes, both of which received a strong response,” added the dean of planning.
In the ‘international research’ parameter, IIT Delhi achieved a score of 89 out of 100, a reflection of its extensive global collaborations. The institute is currently involved in nearly 116 research projects in partnership with universities around the world.
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