Indian universities have witnessed a decline in performance amidst intensifying global competition from well-funded institutions, as per a report released by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) on May 13. Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad emerged as the top-performing institution in India, securing the 410th rank globally, a rise of 9 positions. However, Indian Institute of Science slipped 7 places to the 501st position. The report highlighted that India’s progress in research output has not correspondingly translated into success in higher education.
Indian institutions exhibited varying results in the rankings, with 33 institutions experiencing a drop while 32 others improved their positions. Notably, among the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), IIT Bombay witnessed a significant decline of 14 spots to the 568th rank. IIT Delhi and IIT Kharagpur ranked among the top ten performers, while IIT Madras dropped 12 spots to the 582nd position. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research also descended 26 spots to the 606th rank.
The top ten Indian higher education institutions are:
1. IIM Ahmedabad (410th)
2. Indian Institute of Science (501st)
3. IIT Delhi (554th)
4. IIT Kharagpur (556th)
5. IIT Bombay (568th)
6. IIT Madras (582nd)
7. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (606th)
8. Jadavpur University (698th)
9. University of Hyderabad (713th)
10. University of Calcutta (748th)
Dr. Nadim Mahassen, President of CWUR, emphasized that India’s standing in education is under increasing pressure due to the rise of higher education systems worldwide. He stressed the lack of commensurate success in higher education despite India’s growth in scientific research. Dr. Mahassen advocated for additional government investment in education and research.
In the global context, Harvard University retained its top position for the 13th consecutive year. Chinese educational institutions performed exceptionally well, with 95% of them moving up the rankings, aided by substantial investment in research and development.
The top ten higher education institutions globally are:
1. Harvard University (USA)
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA)
3. Stanford University (USA)
4. University of Cambridge (UK)
5. Tsinghua University (China)
6. University of Oxford (UK)
7. California Institute of Technology (USA)
8. University of Toronto (Canada)
9. Princeton University (USA)
10. Yale University (USA)
The CWUR report evaluates universities based on four parameters, utilizing 62 million outcome-based data points: quality of education, faculty, research performance, and industry income. A total of 20,966 universities were assessed, with institutions from 94 countries making it to the top Global 2000 list.
