On March 11, 2025, United Kingdom (UK) based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released the 15th edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject. Among Indian institutions, the Indian Institute of Technology, IIT(Indian School of Mines, ISM) Dhanbad, (Jharkhand) achieved the highest global ranking, for the first time securing the 20th position worldwide in the Engineering – Mineral and Mining subject area.
- The United States of America (USA) based universities dominated in 32 academic disciplines, with Harvard University(USA) leading in 15 subjects and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT(USA) in 11.
- The UK secured the top position in 18 subjects, with the University of Cambridge(UK) excelling in four.
Assessment:
i.The 2025 edition includes rankings for 55 individual subjects across 5 broad categories: Arts & Humanities (A&H), Engineering & Technology (E&T), Life Sciences & Medicine (LSM), Natural Sciences (NS), and Social Sciences & Management (SSM).
ii.This edition featured 171 new institutions featuring over 1,500 universities with Several subjects, including Medicine, Computer Science and Information (CSI) systems, and Materials Science.
Highlights:
i.The 2025 rankings saw 79 Indian institutions featured with a total of 533 entries, marking a 25.7% increase from 69 institutions and 424 entries in the previous year, 2024.
ii.9 Indian universities ranked in the top 50 globally in the QS subject rankings 2025, despite some declines.
Top 3 Ranked Universities in 5 Broad Subjects:
| Rank | University Name | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Arts & Humanities | ||
| 1 | Harvard University | United States of America (USA) |
| 2 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom (UK) |
| 3 | University of Cambridge | UK |
| Engineering & Technology | ||
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | USA |
| 2 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 3 | Stanford University | USA |
| Life Sciences & Medicine | ||
| 1 | Harvard University | USA |
| 2 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 3 | Johns Hopkins University | USA |
| Natural Sciences | ||
| 1 | Harvard University | USA |
| 2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | USA |
| 3 | University of Oxford | UK |
| Social Sciences & Management | ||
| 1 | Harvard University | USA |
| 2 | University of Oxford | UK |
| 3 | Stanford University | USA |
Click here for Full Lists of Subjects:
Top 9 Indian Institutions of India:
| Global Rank | Institution Name | Location | Subject Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | IIT Indian School of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad | Dhanbad, Jharkhand | Engineering – Mineral and Mining |
| 28 | IIT Bombay (IITB) | Mumbai, Maharashtra | Engineering – Mineral and Mining |
| 45 | IIT Kharagpur (IITK) | Kharagpur, West Bengal (WB) | Engineering – Mineral and Mining |
| 26 | IIT Delhi (IITD) | New Delhi, Delhi | Engineering and Technology |
| 50 | IIT Bombay (IITB) | Mumbai, Maharashtra | Engineering and Technology |
| 27 | Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) | Ahmedabad, Gujarat | Business and Management Studies |
| 40 | IIM Bangalore (IIIB) | Bengaluru, Karnataka | Business and Management Studies |
| 31 | IIT Madras (IITM) | Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN) | Engineering – Petroleum |
| 29 | Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) | New Delhi | Development Studies |
Key Highlights of the Rankings:
i.ISM University Dhanbad, topped India’s rankings in Engineering – Mineral and Mining, with a remarkable improvement from its previous position of 41st globally.
- The university scored 74.7/100, making it India’s highest performer in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025.
ii.IIT-Delhi and IIT Bombay are the only Indian institutes in the global top 50 for Engineering & Technology, securing 26th and 28th positions respectively.
iii.Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (Deemed University), secured the 26th rank globally for Dentistry, representing India’s strong presence in healthcare education.
iv.IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore retained their positions in Business and Management Studies but declined from previous rankings 2024, with IIM Ahmedabad dropping from 22nd to 27th and IIM Bangalore from 32nd to 40th.
v.IIT Madras (Petroleum Engineering) and JNU (Development Studies) remained in the top 50 but experienced slight declines.
vi.Notably, India’s strength in Computer Science & Information Systems has risen, now ranking 4th globally with 42 institutions listed, up from 28 last year 2024.
v.The University of Delhi (DU) and JNU also performed admirably, securing ranks in the Arts & Humanities category. DU was ranked 160th and JNU at 177th globally.
Improvement in Entries:
i.79 Indian universities made a total of 533 entries in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, showing a substantial growth from last year’s 424 entries.
ii.Among these, 65% (51 entries) saw improvements, with several institutions climbing in ranks, while 122 new entries were recorded. India ranked 5th globally in new entries, following China, the USA, the UK, and Korea.
iii.Engineering & Technology continues to dominate the rankings with 24 Indian universities represented, followed by Social Sciences (20 universities), Natural Sciences (19), Arts & Humanities (10), and Life Sciences & Medicine (6).
Global Countries Rankings:
i.Canada: 2 institutions secured top-3 positions globally, with the University of British Columbia featuring in 52 subject rankings, the highest in 2025.
ii.Switzerland: ETH Zurich led in 3 subjects, contributing to Switzerland’s 4 top-ranked disciplines.
iii.Netherlands: The University of Amsterdam topped Communication & Media Studies, while Wageningen University & Research led in Agriculture & Forestry.
iv.Italy: Sapienza University of Rome retained the number-1 position in Classics and Ancient History.
v.Hong Kong: The University of Hong Kong ranked within the top 200 in 55 subjects, marking the highest number of ranked subjects.
vi.China: Sun Yat-sen University and Xiamen University each added 13 subjects to their rankings, with Peking University improving in 43 of its 50 ranked subjects.
About Quacquarelli Symonds (QS):
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Jessica Turner
Headquarters– London, the United Kingdom (UK)
Established– 1990
