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QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026: India Records 99 Entries, IITs & IIMs Lead

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Lakshmi Singh • 4 Mins read • 26 Mar 26
QS World University Rankings by SubjectQS World University Rankings by Subject

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026: QS World Rankings 2026 has been released by UK-based Quacquarelli Symonds. These rankings positioned India’s educational institutions in the spotlight with 99 entries. India saw its record surge in global rankings which make it the fortress of higher education systems worldwide. QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 evaluated 21000 courses of 1900 institutions in 100 countries. These included 55 subjects and 5 faculty fields.


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India recorded 25 institutions in the top 50 of QS rankings. IIT Delhi emerged as a strong performer with IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and BITS Pilani also featured. Being one of the most prestigious rankings across the globe, these numbers show India’s rising power as a global education hub. The excellent performance in STEM courses further strengthened her standing. But it also shows Arts and humanities lagging behind.

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QS World Rankings 2026: Highlights

India has improved its global competitiveness in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. It reflects that India now has outperformed UK and UAE in terms of improvement rate.

Category

Details

Total Ranked Institutions (India)

99

Global Standing

Highest global growth rate in entries

Strongest Performance Areas

Engineering, Technology, Business

Weakest Area

Arts and Humanities

Top Performing Institutions

IITs, IIMs

Top 50 Global Presence

27 Indian institutions present

Ranking Authority

Quacquarelli Symonds

Global Coverage

1900+ institutions 

100+ countries

Programs Evaluated

21,000+ programs 

55 subjects 

5 faculty areas


QS World Rankings 2026: Indian Institutions Highlights

India has a strong global footprint. But the paradox is that it's heavily skewed towards STEM and management areas. One more layer of this performance is specialization-driven performance. ISM Dhanbad has ranked in niche areas like mining engineering. It shows how India is carving out global leadership in select domains.Let’s explore how Indian institutes performed in QS World University Rankings:

Institution

Ranking

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

Electrical Engineering: 36

Mechanical: 44

Computer Science: 45

Chemical: 48

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Featured among top institutions

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Strong presence

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Featured 

Jawaharlal Nehru University

Presence in top rankings

Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani

Featured 

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

21st globally in: 

Business

Management 

Marketing

Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad

21st in Mining Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad

Ranked 395 (Engineering and Technology)

Earlier band 501-550

Top 300 in 6 engineering subjects

University of Hyderabad

Ranked in 7 subjects:

  • Linguistics
  • English
  • Sociology
  • Political Science
  • Chemistry
  • Economics
  • Biological Sciences


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IITs and IIMs Drive India’s Global Rise

IIT and IIM dominate QS rankings. Here are some insights:

  • IIT Bombay: India’s top performer with 30 subject entries
  • IIT Kharagpur and University of Delhi: follow the footprints
  • Engineering and Technology: 65% growth in 5 years
  • Top 100 in Computer Science: Six Indian institutes 


Management institutes are also in headlines.

  • IIM Ahmedabad: in global top 25 (Rank 21) for Business and Marketing
  • IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta: top 50 spots


Top Indian Institutes in QS Rankings 2026 (By Subject)

Institute

Global Rank

Subject

IIT Delhi

36

Electrical and Electronics Engineering

IIT Bombay

=44

Electrical and Electronics Engineering

IIT Madras

=29

Petroleum Engineering

IIT Kharagpur

28

Petroleum Engineering

IIM Ahmedabad

21

Business and Management Studies

IIM Bangalore

29

Business and Management Studies

IIM Calcutta

47

Business and Management Studies


IIT Delhi Shines with Multiple Top 50 Rankings

IIT Delhi standout in the QS Rankings 2026.

  • Ranked in top 50 in five subjects globally
  • Electrical Engineering: Rank 36
  • Mechanical Engineering: Rank 44
  • Computer Science: Rank 45
  • Chemical Engineering: Rank 48


Specialised Excellence: ISM Dhanbad and IIM Ahmedabad

These perform best in niche fields:

  • IIT (ISM) Dhanbad: ranked 21st in Mining Engineering
  • IIM Ahmedabad: ranked 21st in Business & Marketing


Telangana and Other Universities Show Improvement

IIT Hyderabad has improved its performance in Engineering and Technology. It ranked in 9 subjects, with 6 in top 300. University of Hyderabad followed with recognition in 7 subjects.


Arts and Humanities Continue to Lag

Arts and Humanities remain a concern with weak presence in QS World Rankings 2026. Here is the anomalies:

  • Rankings declined for many subjects 
  • In STEM’s comparison, competitiveness dipped
  • Policy focus and funding support is needed to improve


How QS Rankings Are Calculated

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 parameters are:

  • Academic reputation
  • Employer reputation
  • Citations per paper
  • H-index (research impact)


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Final Take

India’s performance in engineering, technology, and management has been noteworthy. The rankings show an upward trend. Although, weakness in Arts & Humanities shows that the development is imbalance. India’s higher education arena is still STEM-heavy. A balanced performance is a must and it demands work from dynamic backgrounds. Because in India, non-technical disciplines make around 5 crores of students. With that number, India can not afford losing holistic development for a large share of its students.