In a sobering assessment of environmental and social governance, no Indian higher education institution managed to break into the top 200 of the prestigious QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2026. The rankings, released on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, saw the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-Delhi) leading the national pack, but it slipped significantly to a global rank of 205 from its previous position of 171.
Indian Institutes Witness Widespread Ranking Decline
The story for India was largely one of regression. Of the 103 Indian universities that featured in this year's sustainability list, a majority of the top performers saw their positions fall. IIT Bombay followed IIT-Delhi, securing a global rank of 236, a slight drop from 235 last year. The decline was more pronounced for IIT Kharagpur, which fell to rank 236 from 202 in the previous edition.
The trend of slipping ranks was not isolated. Among the top 10 Indian institutions, seven experienced a drop. IIT Madras fell to 305 from 277, IIT Kanpur dropped to 310 from 245, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore witnessed a steep fall to 462 from 376 last year.
Global Leaders and the Stiff Competition
Globally, Lund University in Sweden claimed the top spot in the sustainability rankings. It was closely followed by the University of Toronto (Canada), UCL (UK), The University of Edinburgh (UK), and the University of British Columbia (Canada) rounding out the top five.
QS attributed the drop in rankings for Indian institutions to heightened global competition. This year, more than 250 universities made their debut in the rankings. A QS analysis indicated that the slips do not necessarily mean Indian universities are performing worse, but rather that their global peers are improving at a much faster pace, particularly in the area of environmental sustainability.
How Indian Universities Fared Across Different Metrics
The QS Sustainability Rankings evaluate universities on three broad pillars: Environmental Impact, Social Impact, and Governance. A deeper look at India's performance reveals a mixed bag across various indicators.
Top Indian performers in key indicators were:
- Environmental Sustainability: IIT Kharagpur (Global Rank 49)
- Environmental Education: Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (Global Rank 42)
- Knowledge Exchange: University of Delhi (Global Rank 94)
- Employability & Outcomes: IIT Delhi (Global Rank 93)
- Governance: University of Delhi (Global Rank 187)
However, the data also shows that Indian institutions struggled in areas like Equality, Health & Wellbeing, and the overall Impact of Education, where their global ranks were significantly lower.
Despite the overall decline, there is a silver lining. Out of the 103 Indian entries, 32 universities improved their ranking, while 15 managed to retain their position from the previous year. This indicates that while the top-tier institutions faced stiff competition, a segment of the Indian higher education system is making progress on the sustainability front.
