Record 31 Indian universities make it to world’s top list

India has improved its position in the global higher education, with a record 31 educational institutions making it to a new list of the worlds top varsities topped by the University of Oxford.

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, is Indias top institution in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2016-17 list released on Wednesday, up nearly 50 places from its 2015 rank.

Only two Indian universities have made it to the top 400 universities list.IISc (201-250 group), up from 2015’s 251-300 group, is accompanied by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay (351-400 cohort), in the top 400 table.

There is no Indian university in the coveted top 200 list.

This years list, which includes 14 new entrants, is topped by University of Oxford, the first UK university to top in the 12-year history of the table. Five-time topper California Institute of Technology came second while Stanford University was ranked third.

“But the star of the region is India, which has 31 universities in the list. Its leading university ‘The Indian Institute of Science’ is edging closer to the top 200, claiming a spot in the 201-250 band, its highest ever position and the country has four new entries in the top 800,” said Phil Baty, the ranking editor. “India’s strong performance is because of its recognition of importance of participating in global benchmarking exercises.”

“Just in August, the government launched a new funding-backed project aimed at catapulting Indian Institutes of Technology to the top of world university rankings," he said.

Mr Baty described as "encouraging" that the Indian government had displayed an ambition to create world-class universities, witnessed by the countrys leading institutions "edging towards the world top 200".

The other Indian universities on the list include IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras, all within the 401-500 ranks, and IIT Kharagpur and IIT Roorkee in the 501-600 band.

India has 19 institutes in the top 800, two more than 2015 and 12 others in the 801-980 band. Overall, India has 31 institutions, including 14 new names, in the list of 980.