QS Sustainability 2026: The QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2026 emphasizes India's increasing influence in higher education as well as global changes. The University of Toronto (ranked second) and UCL (ranked third) were surpassed by Lund University in Sweden to take the top spot globally for the first time. With over 100 highlighted universities (103 in total), including 26 new additions this year, India solidified its status as one of the four higher education systems in the world.
IIT Delhi continues to be India's top-performing university despite a minor decline in overall rank to 205th, notably attaining a higher overall score than the previous edition. Nine Indian universities including Vellore Institute of Technology, IIT Roorkee, and NIT Rourkela achieved their highest-ever ranking among the top 700, while 32 of the 103 increased their ranking.
QS highlights that attaining India's ambitious renewable energy targets and commitment to the Sustainable Development targets (SDGs), especially in the Global South, depends on its institutions' general excellence in knowledge exchange and environmental sustainability. The significance of Indian colleges in producing the talent and creativity required for a sustainable future is highlighted by this performance.
QS World University Rankings: Key Highlights
Here are 6 key highlights of the IITs' performance in the specified QS World University Rankings:
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With a great overall score of 83.1 points, IIT Delhi topped the Indian contingent and secured the 205th position worldwide.
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IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur came in second and third, respectively, with scores of 81.4 and 81.3.
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With an overall score of 77.3, IIT Madras came in at 305th place, just ahead of IIT Kanpur.
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With a score of 78.0, IIT Kanpur was placed 310th in the world, demonstrating its steady performance among the best schools.
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IIT (BHU) Varanasi received a score of 672nd (62.5) and IIT Roorkee had a score of 352nd (74.9).
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With a score of 58.7, IIT Hyderabad came in at 792nd place, followed by IIT Gandhinagar and IIT Guwahati.
Other Indian universities that made it to the list
In addition to remarks on India's overall performance, the accompanying text lists a number of other Indian colleges that were placed within the top 700 worldwide in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2026. This data has been entered into a table with an emphasis on the universities listed as being among the top 700:
| Rank Bracket | Institute Name (Location) | Institution Type | Key Focus Area (According to QS) |
| Top 700 | IIT Madras | Institute of National Importance (INI) | Knowledge Exchange & Environmental Sustainability |
| Top 700 | IIT Kanpur | Institute of National Importance (INI) | Knowledge Exchange & Environmental Sustainability |
| Top 700 | IIT Roorkee | Institute of National Importance (INI) | Knowledge Exchange & Environmental Sustainability |
| Top 700 | Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) | Private (Deemed University) | Knowledge Exchange & Environmental Sustainability |
| Top 700 | Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore | Research Institute (INI) | Knowledge Exchange & Environmental Sustainability |
| Top 700 | Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) | Private (Deemed University) | Knowledge Exchange & Environmental Sustainability |
| Top 700 | IIT BHU Varanasi | Institute of National Importance (INI) | Knowledge Exchange & Environmental Sustainability |
| Top 700 | IIT (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad | Institute of National Importance (INI) | Knowledge Exchange & Environmental Sustainability |
Please Check:
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