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Indian Institute of Science (IISc) emerged as the top Indian university in the Times Higher Education’s (THE) World University Rankings 2024, as the Bengaluru-based institute bettered its position from the 251-300 range last year to 201-510.
This year’s rankings included 1,904 universities; of these, 91 were from India — a significant jump from last year’s 75 and 56 in 2020.
Among Indian varsities, IISc was followed by Anna University, Chennai, and Jamia Milia Islamia University, New Delhi. Both figured in the 501-600 range. Others in the 501-600 bracket were Motihari’s Mahatma Gandhi University and Solan’s Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences.
Among Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Guwahati ranked best, with a position in the range of 601-800. It was followed by IITs Dhanbad and Patna, also in the same ranking slab. IIT Guwahati and IIT Dhanbad moved up two bands to join the world’s top 800 universities, from 1,001-1,200 last year.
Asia emerged as the most represented continent with 737 participating universities, and is the continent that is improving more than the others in teaching and research quality.
China has the best-ranked universities, overall, in Asia. This year, an unprecedented 33 Asian universities are in the top 200, up from 28 last year. The biggest drivers for this jump are China (from 11 to 13) and Japan (from 2 to 5).
However, no Asian university featured in the top 10. The list was topped by the UK’s University of Oxford, followed by Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US.
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Seven of the top 10 universities were from the US, with the rest from the UK.
“India has well and truly embraced the international agenda, and international competition, with an unprecedented 91 universities making it into the rigorous and demanding Times Higher Education World University Rankings this year — making India now the fourth best-represented nation in the rankings,” said Phil Baty, THE’s chief global affairs officer.
Baty added that India’s National Education Policy reforms, including more internationalisation and the development of a deeper research base, bode well for the country.
