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According to the 15th edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject, announced on March 12, India holds 12 of the top 50 positions.
Nine Indian universities and institutions have been ranked among the world's top 50 in the QS' World University Rankings by Subject 2025 even as some of the top institutions on the list -- including three IITs, two IIMs and JNU -- saw a drop in their positions.
According to the 15th edition of the QS Rankings, announced on March 12, India holds 12 of the top 50 positions across subject rankings and broad faculty areas, earned by nine institutions.
Leading the way is the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, which ranks 20th globally for engineering (mineral and mining), making it the country's highest-performing subject area.
IIT-Bombay and IIT-Kharagpur are ranked 28th and 45th respectively for engineering (mineral and mining); a drop from their previous position.
IIT-Delhi and IIT-Bombay, which shared the 45th rank earlier for engineering and technology, have improved their position to bag the 26th and 28th spots respectively.
The two institutions have also improved their rank for engineering (electrical and electronic) to enter the top 50 list.
IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Bangalore continue to be among the world's top 50 for business and management studies but their ranking has dropped since the previous year.
While IIM-Ahmedabad's ranking dropped to 27 from 22, that of IIM Bangalore slipped to 40 from 32.
IIT-Madras (petroleum engineering) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (development studies) continue to be among world's top 50 but their ranks also dropped by few spots.
'A total of 79 Indian universities -- 10 more than last year -- featured 533 times across this year's rankings, marking a 25.7 per cent increase compared to the previous edition. This includes 454 entries in individual subjects and 79 appearances across the five broad faculty areas,' QS said in a statement.
In the latest edition of QS' subject-specific rankings, India has the fifth highest number of new entries after China, the US, the UK and Korea, and ranks 12th in the number of overall entries.
'The high number of the new entries featured in the rankings is a continuation of a trend of the country's growing higher education ecosystem, both in terms of size and quality,' QS added.
The new entrants from India in Top 100 include IIT-Madras and the Vellore Institute of Technology for data science and artificial intelligence and IISc Bangalore and IIT-Kanpur for engineering (mineral and mining).
Jessica Turner, CEO at QS, added that while India shows exceptional strength in areas like AI, green and digital skills, critical gaps remain in sustainability and entrepreneurial capabilities.
'Closing these gaps through higher education reform and skills alignment is essential for ensuring India's graduates remain competitive in the global economy and are equipped to lead the industries of tomorrow,' Turner said.
The 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject include 533 entries from 79 Indian universities, up from 424 entries last year.
Of these, 156 entries improved, 101 declined and 154 remained stable, while 122 new entries made their debut in this edition.
Computer science and information systems remains India's most represented subject, with ranked entries increasing from 28 last year to 42 this year placing India fourth globally for this discipline, behind only the US (119 entries), the United Kingdom (62) and China (58).
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com