QS World University Rankings 2026: List of World’s top Universities

Are you searching for the top universities globally? We have got you covered!

The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) has released the World University Rankings for 2026.

This year again Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has top the list with a overall score of 100.

As per QS, this year over 1,501 universities were featured in the rankings across 105 higher education systems.

The biggest climber in this year rankings is the Sunway University in Malaysia, which has risen over 120 places, while nearly 500 universities have improved their performance since last year.

The QS rankings are widely recognised and respected global university rankings. Students can check the top universities list and make an informed decision about which university to choose for their higher education.

QS World University Rankings 2026: Top Global Universities

Here is the list of the top 20 global universities as per the QS rankings 2026.

Global Rank	Name of University	Overall score
1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	100
2	Imperial College London	99.4
3	Stanford University	98.9
4	University of Oxford	97.9
5	Harvard University	97.7
6	University of Cambridge	97.2
7	ETH Zurich	96.7
8	National University of Singapore	95.9
9	UCL, London	95.8
10	California Institute of Technology (Caltech)	94.3
11	The University of Hong Kong	94.2
12	Nanyang Technological University	93.7
13	University of Chicago	93
14	Peking University	92.6
15	University of Pennsylvania	92.5
16	Cornell University	91.6
=17	Tsinghua University	91.2
=17	University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	91.2
19	The University of Melbourne	90.8
20	The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney)	90.7

QS Top Universities in India 2026

The list of top universities in India as per QS rankings 2026 are:

Global Rank	Name of University	Overall score
=123	IIT Delhi	65.5
129	IIT Bombay	64.8
180	IIT Madras	58.4
=215	IIT Kharagpur	54.4
=219	IISC Bangalore	54.2
222	IIT Kanpur	53.7
=328	University of Delhi	42.6
=334	IIT Guwahati	42.3
=339	IIT Roorkee	42.2
=465	Anna University	33.8

In India IIT Delhi is the top ranked institution with overall score of 65.5 and 123 global rank in the world. The others in the list include IIT Bombay ranked at 129, IISC Madras ranked at 180 and IIT Kharagpur at 215.

Also Check: Courses offered by IITs in India

QS Top Universities in Asia 2026

The list of top universities in Asia as per QS rankings 2026 are:

Global Rank	Name of University	Overall score
8	National University of Singapore (NUS)	95.9
11	The University of Hong Kong	94.2
12	Nanyang Technological University, Singapore	93.7
14	Peking University	92.6
=17	Tsinghua University	91.2
30	Fudan University	88.4
=32	The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)	87.4
=36	The University of Tokyo	85.8
=38	Seoul National University	85.6
44	The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology	84.8

QS Top Universities in Europe 2026

The list of top universities in Europe as per QS rankings 2026 are:

Global Rank	Name of University	Overall score
2	Imperial College London	99.4
4	University of Oxford	97.9
6	University of Cambridge	97.2
7	ETH Zurich	96.7
9	UCL	95.8
=22	EPFL	90.2
=22	Technical University of Munich	90.2
27	The University of Edinburgh	83.3
28	Université PSL	88.6
31	King’s College London	88.3

QS Top Universities in Oceania 2026

The list of top universities in Oceania as per QS rankings 2026 are:

Global Rank	Name of University	Overall score
19	The University of Melbourne	90.8
20	The University of New South Wales	90.7
=25	The University of Sydney	89.4
=32	Australian National University	87.4
36	Monash University	85.8
=42	The University of Queensland	85.1
65	The University of Auckland	77.5
77	The University of Western Australia	73.7
=82	Adelaide University	72.6
96	University of Technology Sydney	69.9

Key Indicators for QS World University Rankings 2026

The QS World University Rankings 2026 were released on 19 June, 2025. The higher education institutions featuring in the rankings are derived on the basis of several key indicators.

To participate in the rankings the institutions must teach at both UG & PG courses and work in at least two of the five faculty areas that include arts and humanities; engineering and technology; social sciences and management; natural sciences; life sciences and medicine.

The six performance indicators used by QS for university rankings include:

Academic Reputation (30%)

The academic reputation is worth 40% of the overall university score. The scores are evaluated on the basis of a global survey of academics to evaluate the quality of the university’s teaching and research.

Research Citations per Faculty (20%)

This indicator is worth 20% of the overall score. It measures research work done by institutions and their faculties.

Employer Reputation (15%)

This key indicators makes up 15% of the overall university score. A global survey is carried out to collect the feedback from employers on which institutions produce the best graduates.

Employment Outcomes (5%)

The Employment Outcomes (EO) indicator shows how well a college or university helps its students get good jobs after graduation and how many of its graduates have gone on to do important or impactful work in society.

Student to Faculty Ratio (10%)

This key indicator assess the quality of teaching by calculating the ratio of academic staff to students. A lower ration indicates smaller class sizes and personalized attention to the students.

International Faculty Ratio (5%)

This indicator evaluates the diversity of academic staff by calculating the proportion of international faculty members.

International Student Ratio (5%)

A measure of an institution’s success in attracting the students from overseas.

International Research Network (5%)

The International Research Network (IRN) is a measure of an institution’s success in creating and sustaining research partnerships with institutions in other locations.

Sustainability (5%)

 

Also Read About – Best Countries to Study Abroad

QS World University Rankings FAQ’s

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