Indian institutes have a stupendous performance in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 with country's Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) remain the top performer followed by IIMs, other education institutes. IIM Ahmedabad and IIT-ISM Dhanbad bagged the 21st spot globally, IIM Ahmedabad secured rank 21 in both Business and Management Studies and Marketing while IIT-ISM Dhanbad obtained rank 21st globally in Mineral and Mining Engineering. Around 12 higher education institutions secured top 50 spots in the QS subject rankings.
The country has witnessed a steep increase in number of participating institutions and specific subject entries in the QS subject rankings as a total of 99 institutions feature in the 2026 edition. The country also recorded new 120 entries this year placing it fourth globally behind US (287), China (181) and UK (159).
QS subject rankings 2026: List of top 50 Indian institutes globally
| Institution | Best Subject | Rank |
| IIT-ISM Dhanbad | Mineral and Mining Engineering | 21 |
| IIM Ahmedabad | Business and Management Studies and Marketing | 21 |
| IIT Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) | Engineering — Mineral & Mining | 22 |
| Jawaharlal Nehru University | Development Studies | 26 |
| IIT Madras (IITM) | Petroleum Engineering | 29 |
| IIT Delhi (IITD) | Electrical & Electronic Eng. / Eng. & Technology | 36 |
| BITS Pilani | Pharmacy & Pharmacology | 45 |
| IIT Roorkee (IITR) | Civil & Structural Eng. / Mineral & Mining | 51-100 |
| IISc Bangalore | Data Science & AI / Mineral & Mining | 51-100 |
According to the latest rankings, four Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Birla Institute of Technology (BITS), Pilani are among the world's top 50 institutions for different subjects. IIT Delhi has delivered the edition's most complete single-institution performance. It records six top-50 entries, leads India in four subjects - Chemical Engineering (48th, its first top-50 appearance), Electrical and Electronic Engineering (36th), Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering (44th, best in over a decade), and the Engineering and Technology broad area (36th) - and ranks second in Computer Science at 45th.
On India's top performance in the QS subject rankings 2026, essica Turner, CEO, QS Quacquarelli Symonds said, "India's rise this year is not just about scale: it's about momentum in quality and global competitiveness. The breadth of improvement across engineering, technology and business signals a system that is accelerating with intent.
The next phase will be defined by how effectively institutions deepen research strength, build global partnerships, and sharpen their distinctiveness on the world stage."
London-based QS Quacquarelli Symonds, known for the university rankings, has published the 16th annual edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject. The rankings benchmark more than 21,000 academic programmes across 1,900 universities in over 100 countries, spanning 55 disciplines and five broad faculty areas.
-With PTI Inputs
