The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) improved its position in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 and was the only Indian university in the top 300 list, even as several IITs boycotted it for the third year in a row.
Raised doubts over the parameters and transparency. , In 2023, 75 Indian institutions were part of the ranking, compared to 56 in 2020 and just 31 in 2017.
Universities have overtaken higher education institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Banaras Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim University in India rankings by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) as well as the QS World University Rankings 2023. The Times raises further questions on the ranking, its parameters and transparency.
Times Higher Education (THE) and QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), both based in London, are the two most prominent higher-education surveys in the world. India is the sixth most represented country in the 2023 ranking with 75 ranked universities.
Six Indian universities have started their rankings this year, with Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences being ranked highest among newcomers, ranked 351-400.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati was last featured in the 2020 edition and returns this year in the 1001-1200 band.
“India’s policy leaders fully recognize India’s critical need to join the global knowledge economy network and to ensure that the country’s universities compete, collaborate and benchmark themselves with the world’s best universities.
“All of this holds the key to realizing India’s full potential as the world’s largest democracy and unlocking the full economic power of India’s vast youth population – improving training in high-level skills and enabling new knowledge creation and innovation.” And the data shows the policy is succeeding and driving real change, said Phil Batty, chief knowledge officer at Times Higher Education.
While the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc), IITs, NITs and universities such as JNU, Jamia or Delhi University have traditionally topped Indian institutions in global as well as national rankings, the Times Higher Education rankings since 2000. Seen top technical institutes missing in the lists.
Seven IITs – Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee – had opted out of the World University Rankings in The seve
The seven IITs will not participate in the ranking this year. They will reconsider their decision next year if Times Higher Education is able to convince them about the parameters and transparency in their ranking process,” the institutes had then said in a joint statement. IIT-Guwahati rejoined the ranking this year.
For Indian institutions, in this year’s rankings, higher education institutions such as IIT-Indore, JNU and AMU are ranked below institutions that are ranked significantly lower in the NIRF rankings. Globally, Oxford University has retained the top spot for the seventh year in a row. The record number of 1,799 universities in 104 countries and territories is 137 more than the previous year.
The number of US universities represented in the top 100 continues to decline, from a peak of 43 in 2018 to 34 this year. “We are not seeing over-representation for India in the rankings, we are seeing an increase in the rankings: the leading institution, the Indian Institute of Science, has risen to make it to the top 300 in the world this year, and now we have nine Indian are the top 600 institutions in the world, up from just six last year,” Bati said.
