Eighteen Indian universities have made their way into the top 200 in the Times Higher Education’s (THE) annual Asia university rankings for 2023, with the Indian Institute of Science continuing to rank the highest among Indian institutions at the 48th position. However, IISc has fallen six positions compared to last year.
Overall, India has one university in the top 50, four universities in the top 100, and 18 universities in the top 200.
Last year, 17 higher education institutions figured in the top 200 club. This time, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research is once again the second-highest ranked university at the 68th position, as opposed to the 65th rank in 2022. This is followed by Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences (77th), which has made its debut in the top 200 this year, and Mahatma Gandhi University (95th).
However, even as the count of total Indian universities in the top 200 has gone up marginally, many have registered a drop in their performance. For instance, IISc’s rank has fallen for the fifth consecutive year, from 27 in 2016 to 48 this year. JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research has also dipped by three positions this year, and IIT Ropar registered the sharpest drop of 63 positions, from the 68th rank to 131 this year. An upward trend was noticeable in IIIT Hyderabad’s performance, which moved up from the 174th rank to 106 this year.
A few universities have dropped out of the top 200 this year altogether. Jawaharlal Nehru University (167th in 2022) and IIT Gandhinagar (120th last year) are notable names missing from the top 200 this year.
It’s important to note that the prestigious first-generation IITs, including those in Delhi, Bombay, Kanpur, Madras, and Kharagpur, continue to boycott the ranking over concerns regarding transparency. Earlier this year, representatives of the Times Higher Education (THE) had made a presentation to IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay, and IIT-Madras to inform them of the specific changes in the performance parameters this year that address their concerns. However, the IITs haven’t budged on the boycott yet.
This is the 11th annual edition of the Asia University Rankings by THE, a British magazine that reports on higher education. In its assessment, THE uses performance indicators in the areas of teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income. Universities from 31 countries, from Turkey in the west to Japan in the east, participate in the rankings.
“The very rapid growth of Indian universities willing to put themselves forward for assessment in the international rankings is very impressive, showing a real appetite to compete on a global stage and to benchmark against the very best in the Asian continent and the world,” said THE’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, Phil Baty, in reference to the 75 Indian universities participating in the survey. The number has gone up from 71 last year and 63 the year before.
China’s Tsinghua University leads the rankings with the top spot, followed by Peking University and the National University of Singapore. However, the overall rankings are dominated by Japan (117), followed by China (95), India (75), Iran (65) and Turkey (61).
Courtesy : The Indian Express