In April 2025, London, the United Kingdom(UK) based Times Higher Education (THE) released its 13th Asia University Rankings. Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, Karnataka topped among all the Indian Institutes featured on the list. IISc has secured 38th rank on the list with an overall score of 65.2, down from 32nd list (in 2024).
- This ranking of IISc is based on its performance on key indicators/parameters i.e. industry engagement (97.3), robust performances in teaching (68.1) and research quality (64.1).This year total 20 Indian Institutes ranked among Asia’s 250 Universities.
- Overall, China topped the list, retaining 1st (Tsinghua University, score 92.5) and 2nd (Peking University, score 92) spots.It is followed by National University of Singapore (NUS) (Singapore) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) ranked at 3rd and 4th position respectively.
About THE Asia University Ranking 2025:
i.This latest edition ranked 853 universities from 35 countries/territories (up from 739 in 2024), evaluating their research, teaching, knowledge transfer and international outlook.
ii.The rankings are based on 18 performance indicators (up from 13 performance indicators in 2023 Rankings), to reflect the attributes of Asia’s institutions.
iii.These performance indicators are grouped into 5 areas: Teaching (the learning environment), Research (volume, income and reputation), Research Quality (research influence, research strength and research excellence), International Outlook (staff, students and research) and Industry Income (knowledge transfer, patent).
Key Highlights:
i.China continues to lead, securing the top two spots and five positions in the top ten. Singapore, Japan, and other countries also maintain a strong presence in the rankings.
ii.With 119 universities, Japan has the most representation on the 2025 rankings followed by India with 107 universities (up from 91 in 2024) and Mainland China with 99 universities.
iii.As per the latest rankings, all 6 universities of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, are now ranked in the top 50 for the 1st time since 2017.
iv.This year, 4 countries namely, Uzbekistan(3 universities), Bahrain(1 university), Mongolia (1 university), and Syria (1 university) debuted in the Asia rankings, which reflects the increasing presence of universities from emerging regions in global higher education.
THE Asia University Ranking 2025:Top 5 Institutes
| 2025 Rank | Name of the Institution | Country or Region | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tsinghua University | China | 92.5 |
| 2 | Peking University | China | 92 |
| 3 | National University of Singapore | Singapore | 89.9 |
| 4 | Nanyang Technological University | Singapore | 81.8 |
| 5 | The University of Tokyo | Japan | 83.3 |
THE Asia University Ranking 2025:Top5 Indian Institutes
| 2025 Rank | Name of the Institute | State | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Indian Institute of Science (IISc) | Bengaluru, Karnataka | 65.2 |
| 111 | Anna University | Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN) | 52.3 |
| 131 | Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Indore) | Indore, Madhya Pradesh (MP) | 49.4 |
| 140 | Mahatma Gandhi University | Kottayam, Kerala | 48.6 |
| 146 | Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences | Bajhol, Himachal Pradesh (HP) | 48.1 |
India-Specific:
i.Notably, this year all the Indian institutions have dropped in position compared to the last year rankings, for instance: Chennai (TN)-based Anna University dropped from 119th to 111th and Kottayam (Kerala)-based Mahatma Gandhi University slipped to 140th from 134th.
ii.Among India’s top 10 universities, only two Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs): IIT-Indore in Indore, Madhya Pradesh (MP) (ranked 131st) and IIT-Guwahati in Guwahati, Assam (ranked at 184th) featured on the list.
iii.The Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences ranked at 146th spot (up from 150th in 2024) with overall score of 48.1, emerged as the highest-ranked private university in India for 2nd consecutive year.
iv.Other Indian universities ranked within 200: Chennai, Tamil Nadu(TN) based Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS) ranked 149; New Delhi(Delhi) based Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) ranked 161; Guwahati(Assam) based IIT Guwahati ranked 184; Bhubaneswar, Odisha based KIIT University ranked 184 and Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh(UP) based Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) ranked 188.
- Dehradun, Uttarakhand based UPES (University of Petroleum and Energy Studies) ranked 191; Patna(Bihar) based Indian Institute of Technology Patna (IIT Patna) ranked 191; Rourkela, Odisha based National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NIT Rourkela) ranked 191 and Hyderabad, Telangana based International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT Hyderabad) ranked 200
v.Indian universities ranked within 201-250 band: Banaras Hindu University (BHU), UP; Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi,
Birla Institute of Technology And Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani), Rajasthan and Lovely Professional University (LPU) (Punjab), among others.
About Times Higher Education (THE):
THE (Formerly, The Times Higher Education Supplement -The Thes) is a British magazine reporting on news and issues related to higher education.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– John Gill
Headquarters- London, the United Kingdom(UK)
