IIT Delhi has risen 27 places to 123rd in the QS World University Rankings for 2026, marking its best performance yet. This climb highlights the institution's growing international stature and solid efforts in academics and research.
IIT‑Bombay Makes Minor Retreat
Conversely, IIT‑Bombay has slid slightly to 129th, trailing behind Delhi. While still within the elite 150 worldwide, it reflects the increasingly tight competition among India’s premier IITs .
Across Asia, IIT‑Delhi also continues to stand tall—having been ranked 44th in the QS Asia Rankings 2025, ahead of IIT‑Bombay at 48th.
What This Means: More Than Just Numbers
QS rankings are based on a mix of academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, and research citations per paper. The impressive jump by IIT‑Delhi suggests its advances in reputation, research output, and global collaboration are being recognized.
Still, India has room to grow—especially when compared to global engineering leaders like MIT, Stanford, and Cambridge dominating the top spots .
The Bigger Picture
- Both IIT‑Delhi and IIT‑Bombay are designated Institutions of Eminence, a special recognition by the Indian government to foster high-performing universities.
- In domestic rankings such as NIRF, IIT-Bombay (3rd) and IIT-Delhi (4th) maintain their top-tier reputation among Indian schools.
IIT-Delhi's ranking of 123rd in QS 2026 reflects targeted improvements in research and reputation. Meanwhile, IIT‑Bombay remains strong but slightly behind.For students, scholars, and worldwide partners, both institutes remain among India's best entry points to world-class engineering education.
