Hyderabad: Three universities from Hyderabad — IIT Hyderabad, University of Hyderabad, and Osmania University — have featured in the QS World University Rankings 2026.
IIT Hyderabad emerged as the highest-ranked institution from the city. It was placed at 664 in a list of 1,501 institutions across 106 countries, improving from its previous 681–690 band. The institute’s official QS profile shows consistent performance across core indicators, including research output and internationalisation. Though category-wise ranks weren’t disclosed, IIT-H has maintained its place among the top 700 globally.
According to the institute, its rise reflects its focus on research and innovation since its inception in 2008. With strong postgraduate and doctoral enrolments, IIT-H has also been steadily expanding international collaborations and startup support.
The University of Hyderabad (UoH) has been ranked in the 801–850 band overall — the same rank as last year. However, it ranked 335 globally in ‘Citations per Faculty’, indicating high research impact relative to faculty size.
“We are delighted to have achieved a notable ranking of 335 in the world in the ‘Citations per Faculty’ indicator,” said UoH Vice Chancellor Prof. B.J. Rao. “This recognition shows the dedication and hard work of our faculty and researchers.” He also acknowledged that “there is room for improvement in global visibility and perception.”
UoH ranked 692 in academic reputation and 701+ in employer reputation. Its performance in student diversity, faculty ratio, and international research network remained in the lower bands (801+).
Osmania University featured in the 1201–1400 band, one of the few state government-managed public universities in India to be included in the rankings. This is the second consecutive year the university has appeared in the QS list.
While it did not score high in research or reputation indicators, officials described the inclusion as an important step. “We see this as encouragement to build on our academic legacy and strengthen our international standing,” a university official said.
India had 54 institutions ranked this year. The rankings assessed over 8,400 institutions and featured 1,501 from 106 countries based on academic reputation, employer perception, faculty-student ratio, citations, sustainability, and more.
While IIT-H and UoH showed strength in research metrics, all three universities scored low on international student diversity and employment outcomes.
