In an endorsement of academic excellence and research acumen, the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has once again secured the coveted title of the best institute in India. This remarkable achievement was proclaimed in the 2024 QS Asia rankings, a lauded evaluation system developed by the United Kingdom-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) – a distinguished authority in global higher education assessments.
The QS Asia rankings diligently scrutinize institutions across ten pivotal criteria, encompassing academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-to-student ratio, international network influence, citations per paper, papers per faculty member, presence of doctoral-qualified staff, international faculty and students, and outbound exchange programs.
India has emerged as the front-runner in this year’s QS Asia ranking, boasting the most extensive representation of higher education institutions among the featured universities, totaling a substantial 148 institutions, thereby outshining its Chinese and Japanese counterparts, which have 133 and 96 featured institutions, respectively. Remarkably, the QS Asia rankings also introduced Myanmar, Cambodia, and Nepal for the first time.
An accolade of this stature underscores IIT Bombay’s preeminence, extending beyond national borders. Notably, IIT Bombay attains supremacy in both the academic and employer reputation indices, predicated on the discerning opinions of 144,000 esteemed academics and employers. Noteworthy is the fact that IIT Bombay’s standing extends to the global arena as it secures a position within the top 20 institutions in Asia for Employer Reputation.
IIT Bombay finds itself among the exclusive group of Indian institutions that have positioned themselves within the top 100 in the QS Asia University Rankings 2024. This esteemed list includes IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, the Indian Institute of Science, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, and the University of Delhi.
Reflecting the dynamic nature of India’s higher education landscape, Indian universities have showcased commendable resilience in the QS Asian University Rankings. Among the universities featured, over half have demonstrated a significant climb in their rankings, while 21 have observed an improvement, and 15 have maintained their prior positions. Furthermore, an impressive count of 37 new entries made their mark in the rankings, with India being a predominant contributor. Conversely, Mainland China welcomed only seven new additions to its roster of ranked institutions.
In view of this groundbreaking achievement, Ben Sowter, the Senior Vice President at QS, lauded the growing visibility of Indian universities within the QS rankings. He attributed this burgeoning recognition to India’s robust expansion in the realm of higher education and prolific research contributions. He further articulated that India’s remarkable performance in the Staff with PhD indicator, signifying exceptional research output and a highly qualified academic faculty, underscores the nation’s burgeoning potential.
With a substantial representation among Asia’s top universities for Papers per Faculty, India’s scholarly contribution to research shines through prominently. Seven of Asia’s ten leading institutions in this aspect are Indian, reinforcing India’s research prowess. Additionally, India boasts 22 universities positioned within the top 50 in Asia for the Staff with a PhD indicator, underscoring the advanced qualifications of the teaching faculty.
However, despite these commendable achievements, India lags slightly in the International Research Network, Academic Reputation, and Employer Reputation indices. The International Research Network score of 15.4, lower than the regional average of 18.8, suggests room for improvement in global research collaborations. India also falls behind the regional averages in Academic and Employer Reputation indices, signifying potential areas of enhancement in terms of academic recognition and employment considerations.
The QS Asian University Rankings for 2024 herald the burgeoning prominence of India’s higher education system. Steadfast strides in internationalization, research output, and academic accolades underscore India’s standing on the global educational stage, promising a bright future of continued growth and achievement.
In the broader regional context, Peking University in China attains the zenith of excellence in Asia, securing the foremost position, with the University of Hong Kong, the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and Tsinghua University following suit.
