By Nina Mukherji
In a significant milestone for Indian higher education, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) has secured a place in the top 150 list of the QS World University Rankings (WUR). The achievement is a testimony to the institute’s commitment to academic excellence, research expertise, and contributions to the global academic landscape, say experts.
This year, the QS Rankings introduced three new indicators — sustainability, graduate employability, and international research collaboration — to reflect the evolving priorities of students and higher education institutions. Among these criteria, IIT-Bombay excelled in employment reputation and citation per faculty.
Namita Mehta, president, The Red Pen, credits IIT’s collaborations with various prestigious institutions — MIT, Stanford, China’s Tsinghua University, Technical University of Denmark, Google, and Microsoft — for its international success. “Furthermore, director Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri’s recent visit to meet alumni members in the US secured substantial pledges exceeding `50 crore, and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani has also donated significantly to IIT-B. These large endowments will support various initiatives, including scholarships, faculty chairs, and research projects.”
According to Simona Bizzozero, communication director at QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), IIT-B has shown a modest yet sustained focus on improving its research and global reputation among academics and employers. “Notably, in five years, they have moved their employer reputation rank from 102 to 69 and their citations per faculty rank from 226 to 133. For average citations per faculty, they sit at nearly four times the global median — an impressive feat by any standard, a sure sign that their research is having a real impact on the global stage,” Bizzozero said.
The recognition has been well-received by employers. Srishti Sofat, senior vice president of product development at Oracle, said, “It’s overdue — excited to see IIT-B in the top 150 list! This global recognition should open the door for other premier institutions from India to enter future lists.”
Bizzozero suggested that Indian universities should focus on promoting global engagement, improving student-faculty ratios, and increasing research influence to improve their rankings. She said that Anna University, the highest-ranked Indian university in the international research network indicator, is only ranked 427th globally, while Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, the top performer in the international faculty ratio metric, is 438th.