NEW DELHI: London-based QS Quacquarelli Symonds has released its QS World University Rankings for Sustainability 2026.
With 103 universities, India has the fourth-highest number of institutions in the list, after the USA, China, and UK. However, no Indian institution made it to the top 200 in the QS Sustainability rankings 2026. IIT Delhi slipped to rank 205 from last year’s 171.
Established in 2023, the QS sustainability rankings assess institutions across environmental and social sustainability categories such as environmental impact, social impact, and governance.
These include indicators covering environmental research, sustainability, and education, along with equality, employability, knowledge exchange, and health and wellbeing.
The recent rankings showed institutions from the U.K., Canada, Sweden, and the U.S. dominating the top 15. Lund University in Sweden topped the list. The recent rankings have covered nearly 2,000 institutions worldwide.
Of the 103 Indian universities that figured in the list, IIT Delhi is the best performing, placed at 205. Overall, India had 12 universities in the top 500. This year’s rankings recorded the highest number of debut entries from China (46), followed by India (26), France (19), and Turkey (18).
Among the top 15 Indian universities in this year’s sustainability rankings, nine saw their positions drop when compared to that of the previous year. These included Jadavpur University, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras, Indian Institute of Science among others.
Across the 103 Indian institutions ranked, 30 saw their positions decline, 32 showed improvement, and 15 remained unchanged.
At the indicator level, IIT Delhi (93rd) and IIT Kharagpur (96th) made it to the top 100 globally for Employability and Outcomes. The University of Delhi entered the top 100 for Knowledge Exchange, at 94. IIT Bombay was ranked 100th under the Environmental Impact category.
Nine Indian institutions scored above 84 in this indicator, including IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Banaras Hindu University, and Indian Institute of Science.
In comparison, Indian institutions scored relatively lower in the social impact indicators—equality and impact of education.
“Overall, Indian universities excel in knowledge exchange and environmental sustainability. The higher education system also boasts some outstanding individual performances, especially among the IITs and institutions such as the University of Delhi,” a statement quoted Jessica Turner, CEO of QS, as saying.
To view the QS Sustainability Rankings 2026, click here.