Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a major setback, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore’s ranking has continued to decline for the fourth consecutive year, reaching the 556th position in the QS World University Rankings 2026, which were officially released on Thursday.
The institute was ranked 396th in the 2023 rankings, which slipped to 454th in 2024, and then to 447th in 2025.
In the 2026 edition, IIT Indore dropped 79 places, making an exit from the top 500 club.
Among 1,501 institutions evaluated globally, including 54 from India, IIT Indore ranks 12th nationally and continues to hold the position of the highest-ranked second-generation Indian Institute of Technology.
IIT Indore excels in Citations per Faculty
The institute’s overall score saw a noteworthy rise - from 25.1 to 29.6 - indicating clear progress in core performance indicators despite increasing global competition. This year’s results reflect the collective efforts made in enhancing research quality, academic delivery, and institutional reputation.
IIT Indore continues to excel in the indicator “Citations per Faculty,” achieving an outstanding score of 96.9 out of 100. This metric evaluates the research impact of an institution, and IIT Indore’s performance places it sixth among all Indian institutions and 57th globally, reaffirming the quality, volume, and influence of research conducted by its faculty. This score also marks a steady improvement over the previous year’s score of 95.6, signaling sustained momentum in research contributions.
Improved Faculty-Student Ratio
In the area of Faculty-Student Ratio, which reflects the learning environment and faculty accessibility, the institute registered a modest improvement, with the score rising from 27.1 to 28.8. This is indicative of IIT Indore’s continuing commitment to maintain a student-centric academic ecosystem.
Two of the most critical indicators—Academic Reputation and Employer Reputation—showed encouraging progress. Academic Reputation, which carries the highest weightage in the QS rankings methodology at 35 percent, improved significantly from a score of 6.1 in the previous year to 8.0 this year. Employer Reputation, which accounts for 15 percent of the overall score, witnessed a remarkable increase from 5.0 to 16.9. This surge in reputation scores points to greater global recognition of IIT Indore’s academic work and the value its graduates bring to the professional world. However, these parameters still remain areas of strategic focus, as together they comprise half of the total ranking weight. The institute acknowledges that enhancing its perceived value in the global academic and professional communities will require ongoing, consistent outreach, meaningful collaborations, and demonstrable real-world impact.
Sharp increase in sustainability
Sustainability is another area where IIT Indore made significant strides. From a minimal score in previous years, the institute saw a sharp increase in its sustainability score, suggesting growing alignment with global environmental and social goals. Similarly, the score for International Research Network improved, pointing to an expanding global footprint in scholarly collaboration.
However, the indicators related to international faculty and students, along with employment outcomes, still reflect limited progress and are recognized as areas needing renewed strategic initiatives. The institute is actively working on building international partnerships, encouraging exchange programs, and creating a more globally inclusive campus to improve its internationalization metrics.
IIT Indore Director Prof. Suhas Joshi said, “While the rise in overall score is a clear indicator of the institute’s growing capabilities and focused efforts, the drop in global rank highlights the intensifying competition and changing benchmarks in the QS ranking landscape. Rankings today not only measure absolute performance but also relative standing among peer institutions worldwide, and therefore, improvement in all indicators remains critical. Though IIT Indore’s position in the QS World University Rankings 2026 reflects a positive trajectory in research, teaching quality, and institutional reputation, it also highlights the need to sustain and accelerate initiatives in global engagement, academic visibility, and industry interface.”, which reflects the learning environment and faculty accessibility, the institute registered a modest improvement, with the score rising from 27.1 to 28.8. This is indicative of IIT Indore’s continuing commitment to maintain a student-centric academic ecosystem.
