**Click here to discover the 10 top universities in India in 2019.**
The annual QS University Rankings: BRICS is a ranking of the top universities located across the world’s five major emerging economies of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). It aims to demonstrate the performance of universities across the BRICS, shining a light on their national achievements outside of the global framework.
Some 94 Indian universities are featured in the latest edition of the BRICS ranking – accounting for almost a third of the institutions to make the list. Read on for an overview of the 10 top universities in India, and discover more leading Indian universities with the full QS University Rankings: BRICS 2015 and QS University Rankings: Asia 2015.
1. Indian Institute of Science (IISc Bangalore)
A specialist public institution, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc Bangalore) is India’s leading representative in the BRICS ranking, in fifth place. It’s also ranked 34th in the latest QS University Rankings: Asia, consistently named among the top universities in India and well known for its research in the fields of technology and engineering. Located amid a hub of research institutes just north of Bangalore city, the Indian Institute of Science offers a great academic network as well as 40 departments across a 400-acre residential campus.
While the Indian Institute of Science’s specialized focus means it is not eligible for inclusion in the overall world rankings, it has a strong presence within the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2015. Here, it is ranked internationally in 14 subjects, including a place within the global top 100 for electrical & electronic engineering and materials sciences.
2. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi)
Founded as an engineering college in 1961, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) has quickly established a place among the top universities in India. It retains 13th in the BRICS ranking this year, and places 42nd in the whole of Asia. Located south of the bustling city of New Delhi in the Hauz Khas neighborhood, IIT Delhi operates across a 325-acre campus close to a number of other research institutes and universities. These include Jawaharlal Nehru University, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the Indian Statistical Institute. Like other IITs, IITD is fairly small in size and highly competitive, with a current student community of just under 8,000.
Internationally ranked in 11 subjects, IIT Delhi performs best (in the top 100 worldwide) for chemical engineering, civil & structural engineering, computer science, electrical & electronic engineering and mechanical engineering.
3. Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay)
Another India’s highly reputed specialist institutions, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) comes 16th in the BRICS ranking and 46th in Asia this year. Although primarily a technical institution, IIT Bombay offers a number of arts and humanities programs alongside its staple engineering and science subjects, and its three ‘Centers of Excellence’ include the Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management. One of the oldest universities in India, established in 1958, IIT Bombay is located in the Powai neighborhood in the north-east of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) and currently has around 8,000 students.
Ranked internationally in a total of 13 subjects, IIT Bombay does best for art & design, chemical engineering, civil & structural engineering, computer science, electrical & electronic engineering, material sciences, mechanical engineering and statistics.
4. Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur)
One year after IIT Bombay opened its doors, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) was established. Hot on the heels of its slightly older sibling, it’s currently ranked 18th in the BRICS ranking and 58th in Asia. Situated on expansive grounds just outside of the city of Kanpur, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, IIT Kanpur enrolls approximately 7,000 students. Similar to most other IITs, it combines a central focus on engineering and science subjects with a selection of courses in humanities and social sciences, and postgraduate degrees in business and management.
IIT Kanpur is internationally ranked in 10 subjects, including statistics, for which it ranks among the top 100 schools worldwide.
5. Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras)
Another of the top Indian universities created in the 1950s, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) was established in 1959, the same year as IIT Kanpur. It currently ranks 20th in the BRICS ranking and 56th in the whole of Asia. The school is located in the city of Chennai, formerly Madras, one of the leading cities of southern India, on a campus of 600 acres. With approximately 8,000 students, IIT Madras boasts great natural surroundings, adjacent to conservation site Guindy National Park.
Among the 9 subjects IIT Madras is globally ranked for, it does best for engineering; it’s ranked among the world’s top 100 schools for civil & structural engineering, electrical & electronic engineering and mechanical engineering.
6. Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur)
Established in 1951 as a training institute for scientists and engineers, the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) has emerged as another of the leading technical universities in India, ranked 24th in the BRICS ranking and 67th in Asia. Situated in north-east India in the town of Kharagpur, 120 kilometers west of Kolkata, IIT Kharagpur boasts the largest campus among the IITs, spanning over 2,000 acres. The school is home to more than 8,000 students and has plans to ‘go green’ by 2020.
IIT Kharagpur is ranked globally in 12 subjects, including a top-100 position for civil & structural engineering, materials sciences and mechanical engineering.
7. Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee)
Established in 1847 as a college of civil engineering, the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) became an IIT in 2001. The university is now ranked 43rd in the BRICS ranking and 92nd in Asia, and has around 8,000 students. Located in the city of Roorkee in Uttarakhand in northern India, IIT Roorkee focuses on science and engineering programs as well as offering humanities, social sciences and management degrees. IIT Roorkee boasts three ‘centers of excellence’, dedicated to nanotechnology, transportation systems and disaster mitigation and management.
IIT Roorkee features in eight subjects in this year’s subject rankings; as you would expect, it performs best for engineering, science and technology disciplines.
8. University of Delhi
One of the few top universities in India not focused on technical degrees, the University of Delhi is often considered the nation’s best multidisciplinary school. Established in 1922, it’s currently ranked 46th in the BRICS rankings and 91st in Asia. Located across two campuses north and south of the city of Delhi, the University of Delhi enrolls over 300,000 students. In addition to a full spectrum of degree programs, the school also runs five Centers of Advanced Studies in the fields of chemistry, geology, history, sociology and zoology.
The University of Delhi is ranked in eight subjects this year, coming 17th in the world in the inaugural edition of our development studies ranking.
9. Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati)
Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be anymore IITs, the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) comes along, ranked 50th in the BRICS ranking and 98th in Asia. Established in 1994 by the Indian government, IIT Guwahati can be found on the northern banks of the Brahmaputra River in the city of Guwahati, northeastern India. As well as offering engineering, science and humanities programs, the school also boasts six research centers with a focus on energy, environment, educational technology, nanotechnology, mass media communication and instruments facility.
In this year’s subject rankings, IIT Guwahati is among the top 300 schools worldwide for electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.
10. University of Calcutta
Our list of the top 10 universities in India is concluded by the University of Calcutta, which is placed 52nd in the BRICS ranking and 149th in Asia. Like the University of Delhi, the University of Calcutta is a multidisciplinary public university. It’s located in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), a city known as the commercial center of East India, with a GDP among the largest in southern Asia. Founded in 1857, the University of Calcutta now enrolls over 23,000 students across a number of campuses.
Despite not featuring in the subject rankings, the University of Calcutta claims the biggest research center of all Indian universities, which is dedicated to nanoscience and nanotechnology.
Image credit: Vikramjit Kakati/Wiki Commons
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