QS University Rankings 2026: List Of Top Universities In The World
The QS World University Rankings 2026 list over 1,500 universities, with MIT at the top and IIT Delhi ranked highest among Indian institutions at 123.
The QS World University Rankings 2026, released on Thursday, include over 1,500 universities from more than 100 countries. The rankings highlight changes in global higher education, with the United States still leading, while many Asian and European countries have shown improvement.
In a press release, QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) announced that nearly 500 institutions have improved their rankings compared to last year. The rise is attributed to better performance in areas such as citations per faculty, international student ratio, and sustainability.
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MIT Stays On Top, UK And US Lead The Top 10
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) continues to hold the number one spot for the 14th year in a row. It is followed by Imperial College London and Stanford University, which moved up from sixth to third place. Other top 10 universities include the University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, National University of Singapore (NUS), University College London (UCL), and Caltech.
The top 10 list remains mostly the same as last year, with only slight changes in ranking. The United States has the highest number of universities in the list, with 192 institutions, many of which improved their positions.
Top 10 Universities In QS World University Rankings 2026
| Institution | 2026 Rank | 2025 Rank |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 1 | 1 |
| Imperial College London | 2 | 2 |
| Stanford University | 3 | 6 |
| University of Oxford | 4 | 3 |
| Harvard University | 5 | 4 |
| University of Cambridge | 6 | 5 |
| ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) | 7 | 7 |
| National University of Singapore (NUS) | 8 | 8 |
| UCL (University College London) | 9 | 9 |
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | 10 | 10 |
ALSO READ: Mumbai University Jumps To 664th In QS World Rankings 2026, Up From 711–720 Band
Top Indian Universities In QS World University Rankings 2026
| Institution | 2026 Rank | 2025 Rank |
| Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) | 123 | 150 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) | 129 | 118 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) | 180 | 227 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IITKGP) | 215 | 222 |
| Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore | 219 | 211 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) | 222 | 263 |
| University of Delhi | 328 | 328 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) | 334 | 344 |
| Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR) | 339 | 335 |
| Anna University | 465 | 383 |
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