The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore has emerged as India's top university in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, securing a position in the 201-250 rank band. This year, India has become the country with the second-highest number of universities featured in the global rankings, trailing only the United States.
Other Indian institutions also made notable gains. Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, rose to the 351-400 band, up from last year's 401-500 category. Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, and Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Bajhol (Himachal Pradesh) are placed in the 401-500 band.
Meanwhile, universities including Banaras Hindu University (BHU), IIT Indore, KIIT University (Bhubaneswar), Lovely Professional University (Phagwara), Mahatma Gandhi University (Kottayam), and UPES (Dehradun) feature in the 501-600 range.
In the 601-800 rank band, India is represented by Aligarh Muslim University, Amity University (Noida), Bharathiar University (Coimbatore), Central University of Punjab (Bhatinda), Chitkara University (Chandigarh), Graphic Era University (Dehradun), IIT Patna, IIIT Hyderabad, Malaviya National Institute of Technology (Jaipur), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, NIT Rourkela, Panjab University (Chandigarh), Sharda University (Greater Noida), Symbiosis International University (Pune), Thapar Institute of Engineering Technology (Patiala), University of Delhi, and VIT University (Vellore).
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 feature 2,191 institutions from 115 countries and territories. For universities beyond the top 100, THE assigns them to rank bands instead of specific positions.
Globally, the University of Oxford retains its position as the world's number one university for the 10th consecutive year, credited for its outstanding research environment. Princeton University has achieved a career-best ranking, rising to a joint third-place finish, while Tsinghua University remains 12th, and Peking University improves to 13th. National University of Singapore (NUS) maintains its 17th-place ranking from last year.
China continues to have a strong presence, with 13 universities in the top 200, including five in the top 40, up from three last year.
Hong Kong sets a record with six universities in the top 200, driven by improvements in teaching performance.
