NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have figured in Asia's top 100 universities even as all of them have fallen several positions since last year, according to the QS Rankings announced on Tuesday.
India continued to remain Asia's second most represented higher education system, with 325 ranked universities, including 34 new entrants, second only to Mainland China.
According to the London-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), IIT Delhi remains India's highest-ranked university, placing 66th in Asia despite a year-on-year decline, while all six of India's top-ranked institutions dropped in the rankings.
IIT Delhi was ranked 59th last year and slipped to 66th, followed by IISc Bengaluru, which was at 64th spot last year and has slipped to 79th rank.
IIT Bombay fell from 71st to 83rd, IIT Madras fell from 70th to 85th, IIT Kharagpur fell from 77th to 90th, and IIT Kanpur fell from 77th to 97th.
"India has built remarkable research capacity. Its universities lead Asia for the number of institutions in the top 10 for Papers per Faculty, and 15 share first place for staff with PhD. The challenge now is to translate this strength more consistently into research impact and international recognition.
"Although several leading institutions have fallen in this year's rankings as competition grows across Asia, India has a strong foundation on which to build. Continued investment in research quality, international partnerships and global visibility will help sustain its progress," said QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter.
The University of Delhi also slipped out of the top 100, from 95th to 106th. Chandigarh University, Lovely Professional University and Jamia Millia Islamia are among the Indian institutions climbing the table.
India also increased its representation among the top 200, with 21, up from 20 last year and 17 in 2018.
According to the QS Rankings, India leads Asia for universities excelling in research output per faculty member, with 27 universities in the regional top 50 for papers per faculty and five in the top 10, more than any other higher education system.
"Exceptional doctoral capacity underpins this performance, with 15 Indian universities sharing first place for staff with PhD, more than double the total of the next strongest-performing system," the QS said in a statement.
"Employer Reputation remains a relative strength, with IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi placing seventh and 10th respectively – the first Indian universities in Asia's top 10 – though employer recognition remains concentrated among a small number of institutions despite the scale of India's labour market," it added.