India’s Rise in Education Excellence: Overtaking the Red Dragon

Today history has been created as India has once again beaten China to become the Top Nation in Asia for having highest number of Universities being ranked amongst Asia’s Top Universities by QS Asia Universities Ranking 2025. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude and congratulations to our visionary Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for showing us the right path and laying a strong foundation that has made possible to attain this remarkable achievement.

With an impressive 162 universities listed, India has not only secured the lead but has also left behind China (132 universities), Japan (96 universities), and South Korea (88 universities) to claim this prestigious position for the second consecutive year.

A Visionary Leadership Driving Excellence in Education

This achievement is a direct result of the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who has been at the helm of sweeping reforms that have transformed India’s education system over the past decade. Under his leadership, Indian universities have been able to build a strong foundation, aligning academic rigor with global standards and paving the way for India to become a leader in quality education.

The past ten years have witnessed a series of groundbreaking reforms in the education sector. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) has brought greater transparency and accountability, while the New Education Policy (NEP) has been a game-changer in terms of fostering research, innovation, and international collaborations.

40% Growth in Number of Indian Universities to be ranked as Top Asian Universities

India’s progress is nothing short of extraordinary. The number of Indian universities ranked among the top universities in Asia has increased by 40% in just the last three years. From 116 universities ranked in 2022 to 162 in 2025, India’s rise has been swift and significant. This surge reflects the nation’s relentless focus on strengthening its higher education infrastructure, improving academic standards, and enhancing research and innovation.

The presence of Indian universities in the QS Asia University Rankings also highlights the growing global recognition of Indian academic institutions as Centers of excellence in education, research, and innovation.

IIT Delhi and Chandigarh University Lead the Way

Among Indian institutions, IIT Delhi has emerged as the top-ranked Indian university in the QS Asia Rankings 2025. Banking on strong Academic Reputation, International Research Network, Employee Reputation parameters, IIT Delhi has managed to give IIT Bombay a tough competition. In the private universities domain, I am pleased to share that Chandigarh University has emerged as the top private university in India. This is 2nd year in a row that Chandigarh University has secured the number one spot among private institutions in the QS Asia Rankings 2025.

What Contributed to India’s Success?

Several factors have contributed to Indian universities’ improved standings in the QS Asia Rankings:

1. Transforming the Research and Innovation Landscape

India’s focus on fostering a culture of research and innovation has also paid rich dividends on the global stage. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India’s standing in the Global Innovation Index has improved dramatically. From being ranked 81st in 2014, India has surged to 39th position in 2025, showcasing the country's rapid progress in research and innovation.

The surge in academic research output further underscores this transformation. In 2023, India ranked 4th globally with over 1.3 million academic research publications in the last five years, signalling the country’s growing contribution to global knowledge production.

Moreover, the number of patents filed in India has increased by a significant 31% over the last decade. In 2023, India registered a total of 83,000 patents, up from just 42,700 patents in 2014, indicating the rising emphasis on innovation and intellectual property creation.

2. Globalization of Education

PM Modi Ji has always empathized on the importance of Globalization of Indian Universities which has lead to increase in international collaboration and student exchange programs. Many Indian universities have formed partnerships with top global institutions, improving their reputation in the international academic community. Today India has emerged as one of the preferred Global Destination for Higher Education. The Number of foreign students studying in India has doubled in just 10 years from 20,000 in 2014 to 43,678 in 2023. This is a stamp of acceptance and global recognition of Indian Education.

3. Focus on Enhancing the Education Infrastructure

Government of India has heavily investing in establishing world class Higher Education Institutions during the last 10 years. The last decade has seen IIITs Surge from 9 to 25, IIMs Rise from 13 to 21, AIIMS Triple to 22 which shows the commitment of Government towards offering world class education to Indian Youth. Government budget allocation for Education, Employment and Skilling has increased by 115% during the last 10 years and has touched ?1,48,000 crores this year.

4. Emergence of India as Global Education hub

Banking on strong Education reforms undertaken by PM Modi, India is on the verge of becoming a strong global destination for higher education. This can be ascertained by the fact that number of foreign students has increased from 20,000 in 2014 to 43,678 in 2023 which is testament of global acceptance and recognition of Indian Academic learning.

I feel if we want to attain the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047, then the Higher Education Institutions have to play a major role.