BENGALURU-BASED Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has emerged as the highest-ranked Indian institution in the ‘Times High Education (THE) Asia University Rankings 2023' released in London on Thursday (22).
While IISc is ranked 48th, the second highest ranked university in India is also is Karnataka – JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research in Mysuru, which comes 68th.
Others in the top 100 include Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences in Bajhol, Himachal Pradesh at 77th position and Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala, ranked 95th.
The list was topped by China's Tsinghua University and Peking University. The National University of Singapore ranked third.
In all, India has one university in the top 50, four universities in the top 100 and 18 universities in the top 200.
“THE's Asia University Rankings shines a bright light on higher education in a very diverse continent and shows India's universities are becoming increasingly innovative and dynamic,” said Phil Baty, Times Higher Education's Chief Global Affairs Officer.
“The very rapid growth of Indian universities willing to put themselves forward for assessment in the international rankings is very impressive, showing a real appetite to compete on a global stage and to benchmark against the very best in the Asian continent, and the world. The data shows an increasingly diverse and dynamic Indian higher education sector, with huge potential driven by the NEP (National Education Policy) reforms,” he said.
“The change that has taken place in India in the 11 years THE has been running this ranking is especially impressive,” he added.
Other Indian universities to make the rankings include the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, (106th); Alagappa University, Tamil Nadu, (111th); Saveetha University, Tamil Nadu, (113th); Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, (128th); Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Punjab, (131st); and Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (137th).
Most universities in the rankings come from Japan (117), followed by China (95), India (75), Iran (65) and Turkey (61). India is showing a year-on-year increase in participation with 71 universities in the rankings last year and 63 the year before.
Thailand and Indonesia each have 18 universities in the rankings – more than last year.
This is the 11th edition of 'THE's Asia University Rankings', and this year, 669 universities are ranked, up from 616 last year, and 31 countries and regions are represented, from Turkey in the west to Japan in the east.
THE's Asia University Rankings' use the same performance indicators ‘THE' uses for its annual ‘World University Rankings', with weightings specially recalibrated to reflect the priorities of Asian institutions.
(PTI)
IISc Bangalore top Indian institute in Asian university rankings
India has one university in the top 50, four in the top 100 and 18 in the 200
Keir Starmer (R) and Narendra Modi have a cup of tea during a business showcase event at Chequers, in Aylesbury, England, on July 24, 2025. (Photo by KIN CHEUNG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
