New Delhi, Nov 18: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has once again emerged as India’s top-performing institution in the newly released QS World University Sustainability Rankings. IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur follow as the country’s next best-ranked institutes.

Globally, Sweden’s Lund University has secured the number one position for the first time since the rankings were introduced in 2023. The University of Toronto—ranked first in both 2024 and 2025—now slips to second place, while University College London (UCL) rises two spots to claim third.

India remains one of only four countries to have more than 100 universities featured in this year’s list, with 26 new Indian institutions making their debut.
According to QS, “Of the 103 Indian universities included this year, 32 have improved their standing, 15 retain the same rank, and 30 have moved down. IIT Delhi continues to lead the country, appearing this year at 205th, though with a higher overall score than last year.”

QS further noted, “Among the 15 IITs featured, six achieved better rankings in 2026 compared with 2025. IIT Delhi is among the six that have shown notable advancement since the rankings were first launched three years ago.”

Several Indian institutions reached their best-ever performance in the 2026 edition, including nine universities ranked within the global top 700. These include Vellore Institute of Technology, IIT Roorkee, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Panjab University, Banaras Hindu University, NIT Rourkela, IIT (BHU), and UPES.