No Indian varsity among top 200 in Times' World University Rankings 2019

IISc retains lead as highest-ranked Indian institute, followed by debutante IIT Indore

Despite increasing in terms of overall representation in the rankings, India yet again has failed to make it to the top 200 list in the latest Times Higher Education’s (THE’s) flagship World University Rankings 2019. 

In the 251-300 band, the Indian Institute of Science continued to lead Indian institutes in the THE World University Rankings 2019, followed by a surprise debut by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Indore becoming India’s second-highest ranked institute in the 351-400 band. IIT-Indore overtook IIT-Bombay, which slipped from the 351-400 band of ranking to the 401-500 band. 

According to THE, while India increased its representation, a majority of institutions either stagnated or fell in their positions in the 2019 table, compared to the previous rankings. Overall, India increased its presence, with 49 institutes being ranked, against 42 last year, making India the fifth-best represented nation in the world.

Interestingly, the lesser-known Mysuru-based JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research (formerly known as Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara University) debuted as India’s fifth-highest ranked institute, ahead of the likes of IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Kharagpur, IIT-Guwahati, and IIT-Madras. 

Among the IITs, while IIT-Bombay slipped from the 351-400 to the 401-500 band, IIT-Roorkee rose from the 501-600 band to the 401-500 band this year. IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kanpur, and IIT-Kharagpur remained stagnant in the 501-600 band.

According to Phil Baty, editorial director of global RANKINGS for THE, the stagnancy or fall in rankings among IITs was largely due to intensified global competition where universities in other countries were doing much better than their Indian counterparts.

“While it increases its presence again in this year’s table, the majority of its universities remains immobile, struggling against increased global competition - particularly from East Asia. Sustained investment, a continued drive to attract leading global talent, and a strengthened international outlook will be key to propping its global reputation and research influence. Its current higher education reforms could be key to helping institutions progress,” said Baty.

Commenting on the lesser-known debutantes, Baty told Business Standard that newer Indian universities were making their mark in global rankings on the back of high quality research and higher impact of their research, even if they performed relatively low on the reputation front or other parameters.

“More Indian institutes are willing to be globally compatible. They tend to shine in terms of high quality research. The problem with IITs is that while they are outstanding in their teaching, not all of them are embedded in great research and largely restricted in global partnerships unlike their newer peers,” Baty told Business Standard.

According to Pradeep Mathur, director of IIT-Indore, the institute has always focused on research by investing in research facilities, providing incentives for publications and patents, and recruiting committed researchers. 

“Our efforts in making research the focus of the institute is now reflected in the form of citation and other impact metrics of research.  We continue to make research the focus of all our programmes, which is why you see even our undergraduate students are active participants of research projects and collaborate within India and internationally, too. We are committed to making IIT-Indore a top-notch research hub, nationally and internationally,” said Mathur.

Further, Amrita University sees an impressive rise in the 2019 table, from 801-1000 to 601-800 this year, with particular improvement in its citation impact (research influence) score.

Meanwhile, in the overall rankings, Oxford University claimed the first position for the third consecutive year, also topping the list for its research pillar (volume, income, and reputation). Cambridge retained second, while Stanford in the US holds steady in third. 

India's representation at THE World University Rankings 2019 

Institution name	2019 ranking band	2018 ranking band
IISc	251–300	251–300
IIT Indore	351–400	NR
IIT Bombay	401–500	351–400
IIT Roorkee	401–500	501–600
Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeswara University	401–500	NR
IIT Delhi	501-600	501-600

IIT Kanpur 501-600 501-600 IIT Kharagpur 501-600 501-600 IIT Guwahati 601-800 601-800 IIT Madras 601-800 601-800

NR = Not Ranked

Source: Times Higher Education