Several IITs boycott Times Higher Education World University Rankings, IISc only entry in top 300

Seventy-five Indian institutes were part of the rankings in 2023 as compared to 56 in 2020 and just 31 in 2017

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) improved its position in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 and was the only Indian university in the top 300 list, even as several IITs boycotted it for the third consecutive year raising doubts over its parameters and transparency.

Seventy-five Indian institutes were part of the rankings in 2023 as compared to 56 in 2020 and just 31 in 2017.

Universities ranked lower in the India Rankings by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) as well as the QS World University Rankings 2023 have raced ahead of higher education institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Benaras Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim University in the Times Rankings, raising more questions on its parameters and transparency.

The Times Higher Education (THE) and QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), both of which are based in London, are two of the most prominent higher-education surveys in the world.

India is the sixth most represented country in the 2023 rankings with 75 ranked universities. Six Indian universities have made their rankings debut this year, with Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences the highest ranked of the newcomers, ranked at 351-400.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati was last featured in the 2020 edition and returns this year in the 1001-1200 band.

India's policy leaders have fully embraced the vital need for India to join the global knowledge economy network and to ensure that the nation's universities compete with, collaborate with, and benchmark themselves against the very best universities in the world.