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The Prime Minister lauded India’s rise in the QS Asia university rankings, which has increased from 24 to 294 institutions in a decade due to the NEP and research focus, second only to China’s 395 universities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Image: NEWS18 file)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded the sharp rise in the number of Indian institutions included in the QS Asia University Rankings in the last decade.
In a post on Twitter, Modi said: “”Pleased to see the record increase in the number of Indian universities in the QS Asia University Rankings over the last decade. Our government is committed to ensuring quality education for our youth while focusing on research and innovation. We are also building institutional capacities in this sector by enabling more educational institutions across India.”
According to NDTV, India’s representation in the QS Asia University Rankings has increased more than tenfold, from 24 institutions in 2016 to 294 in 2026, representing an increase of 1,125 percent.
According to university rankings, India dominates the papers per faculty indicator, with five universities ranked in the top 10 in Asia and 28 universities in the top 50.
This growth has outpaced every other country in Asia and reflects the impact of India’s National Education Policy (NEP).
NDTV quoted Matteo Quacquarelli, vice president of strategy and analytics at QS Quacquarelli Symonds, as saying: “India’s remarkable rise in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026 reflects a decade of transformation in research productivity, innovation and institutional capacity. As India completes five years of the launch of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, its impact is becoming increasingly apparent.”
He said, “India dominates the Papers per Faculty indicator, indicating strengthening research output. At QS, we are committed to providing reliable data and insights that empower universities, policy makers and students to navigate this evolving higher education landscape.”
It is heartening to see a record increase in the number of Indian universities in the QS Asia University Rankings over the last decade. Our government is committed to ensuring quality education for our youth with a focus on research and innovation. We are also doing institutional building…- Narendra Modi (@narendermodi) 4 November 2025
Meanwhile, China recorded a 273 percent increase over the same period. China (Mainland) has topped as the most represented system with 395 universities, followed by India with 294 universities.
While the University of Hong Kong leads the 2026 Asia rankings, Peking University is placed second and the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore are placed third.
The QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026 – released on Tuesday by global higher education analyst QS Quacquarelli Symonds – is the largest ever with 1,529 universities from 25 higher education systems. Of these, 558 new ones are included.
November 04, 2025, 10:45 PM IST
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