QS Sustainability Rankings 2026: IIT Delhi retains top spot as India's best university

New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) has once again achieved the top spot as India’s best performing institution for the second straight year, according to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) university sustainability rankings 2026. Securing a rank of 205, IIT-D was placed at the spot of the most sustainable university of India this year, with an impressive score of 83.1. It was followed by Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), ranked at 235 and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP), ranked at 236.

Making it to the top 100 global institutions for employability and outcomes, IIT Delhi bagged the 93rd rank followed by IIT Kharagpur which ranked 96th. IIT Bombay was ranked 100th under the environmental impact category. With 26 new entries this year, India is one of only four higher education systems that have more than 100 universities feature in the rankings. “Of the 103 universities from India, 32 improve their ranking this year, 15 retain the same rank as last year and 30 drop. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi is once again India’s best performing institution, this year appearing at 205th,” London-based QS said in a statement. Among the 15 IITs that feature in the ranking this year, six have improved their ranking in 2026 compared to that of 2025.

“IIT Delhi is one of six IITs that has made significant progress since the inaugural ranking three years ago,” it added. Other Indian universities that made it to the list are: IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee, Vellore Institute of Technology, Indian institute of science (IISc) Bangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, IIT BHU Varanasi, and IIT (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad were the other universities to make it to the top 700. “Overall, Indian universities excel in knowledge exchange and environmental sustainability.

The higher education system also boasts some outstanding individual performances, especially among the IITs and institutions such as the university of Delhi. The role of higher education in the fight against climate change is highlighted in these rankings. India's role in sustainable development can neither be understated,” said Jessica Turner, CEO of QS.