NEW DELHI: Record number of Indian universities featured in the latest Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2024 and India’s top ranked Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore has returned to the global top 250, coming in the 201-250 band, for the first time since 2017.
The list released on Wednesday has an unprecedented 91 Indian institutions, up from 19 in 2016. Two IITs –Guwahati and IIT (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad, moved up two bands to join the world’s top 800 universities, from 1001-1200 to 601-800. University of Oxford, Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are the top three universities in the global rankings.

In the 20th year of the ranking 1,904 universities, up from 1,799 last year, from 108 countries and regions are ranked. Top Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) continued to boycott the rankings for the fourth consecutive year, even as India has also become the fourth best represented nation in the 2024 rankings, up from the sixth spot last year.
According to the ranking report, Indian universities have made significant gains this year, including five of the countries’ top universities. IISc has moved up from the 251-300 band last year to 201-250, while Anna University moved up from 801-1000 band last year to 501-600. Aligarh Muslim University moved up from the 801-1000 band last year to 601-800, while Bharathiar University moved up from the 801-1000 band last year to 601-800.
Apart from IISc, India has four universities in the top 600 which include Anna University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Mahatma Gandhi University (501–600), Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences (501–600).
The indicators were grouped into five pillars–teaching, research quality, research environment, international outlook and industry. Four of the five new metrics include three that look at research quality and one that examines patents in the industry pillar.
“India has well and truly embraced the international agenda, and international competition, with an unprecedented 91 universities making it into the rigorous and demanding Times Higher Education World University Rankings this year – making India now the fourth best represented nation in the rankings,” said Phil Baty, THE’s Chief global affairs officer.
Baty added, “Although methodological changes this year have not been kind to some Indian institutions, the overall picture remains positive – with a rise into the top 250 for IISc and several other rising institutions.”
165 universities are ranked for the first time, 89 of which are from Asia with one newly ranked university from mainland China. Mainland China has the best ranked universities, overall, in Asia. This year an unprecedented 33 Asian universities are in the top 200, up from 28 last year. The biggest drivers for this jump are China (from 11 to 13) and Japan (from 2 to 5).