Four Indian universities have been featured in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World Reputation Rankings 2025. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru remains India’s top performer, alongside the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, IIT Madras, and Shiksha ‘O’ Anusandhan.
However, all Indian institutions have seen a decline in their rankings compared to 2023. IISc, previously ranked 101-125, has now dropped to the 201-300 bracket. IIT Delhi and IIT Madras, now ranked in the 201-300 range, were previously in the 151-175 and 176-200 brackets, respectively. A new entrant, Shiksha ‘O’ Anusandhan, has debuted in the 201-300 category. Meanwhile, IIT Bombay, which was ranked 151-175 in 2023, has not made it to this year’s list.
The 2025 World Reputation Rankings evaluate the world’s leading universities based on academic prestige. This edition ranks 300 institutions across 38 countries and territories, using six performance indicators for the first time: research vote count, teaching vote count, research pairwise comparison, teaching pairwise comparison, research voter diversity, and teaching voter diversity.
Harvard University continues its reign at the top for the 14th consecutive year. Oxford University has reached its highest position since 2015, tying for second place with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). China’s Tsinghua University holds the eighth spot globally.
Other universities making it into the top 50 include LMU Munich, KU Leuven, Sorbonne University, the University of Melbourne, the University of Hong Kong, and the University of Manchester. Additionally, four new countries—Chile, Malaysia, Poland, and Portugal—have made their debut in the rankings.