IISC Bengaluru and Anna University Propel India’s Rise in THE Asia University Rankings 2025

Bangalore, Karnataka ESTD 1909

IISC Bengaluru and Anna University Propel India’s Rise in THE Asia University Rankings 2025

India has enhanced its position in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Ranking 2025, Published on April 23, 2025, showcasing 107 universities listed up from 91 in 2024 A joint 38th place finish for the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru Anna University (111th) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore (131st) round out the top three in India. India's efforts to raise its academic profile internationally continue to face obstacles like funding cuts and limited internationalization despite the country's increased representation, it now has more institutions than China (94) making it the second most represented country after Japan (119).

Context and Analysis: India’s Performance in THE Asia University Rankings 2025

Teaching (24 percent) research environment (28 percent) research quality (30 percent) international outlook (7 point 5 percent) and industry income (10 percent) are the five main pillars that comprise the THE Asia University Rankings 2025 which evaluated 853 universities in 35 countries using 18 performance indicators. While India's progress demonstrates the impact of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which prioritizes research and multidisciplinary education, China remains in the lead with Tsinghua University at the top and Peking University in second.

Key Highlights:

1. Record Representation: According to THE World University Rankings 2025 India has impressive growth in its higher education sector with 107 institutions in the rankings including 16 new entrants placing it on par with the UK.

2. Top Performers: The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) maintains an overall score of 65. 2 with a decline from 32nd in 2024 but particularly strong in research quality (97. 3) and industry income (68.1). While IIT Indore (49.4) exhibits well-rounded abilities Anna University stands out in teaching with an overall score of 80. 0 (52. 3).

3. Emerging Stars: With scores of 71. 4 and 72. 5 respectively Shoolini University (146th) and Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (149th) lead the industry in industry income while KIIT University (184th) exhibits a noticeable improvement. Difficulties: Of the universities in the rankings 34 experienced a drop in their rankings from 2024 indicating uneven progress. With a 74% budget cut in 2025 the Institutes of Eminence (IoE) initiative is having difficulty making an impact especially in comparison to Chinas well-funded Double First-Class program. Low international outlook scores like 31. 6 for IISc also indicates a big room for development.

4. Critical Viewpoint: Although India's population is growing this growth masks an unequal educational system. While some universities such as Anna University and IISc perform well many others struggle in terms of research output and international engagement. The need for fair resource distribution is highlighted by the difference between southern and northern institutions and the underrepresentation of eastern institutions. The IoE scheme's limited efficacy emphasizes the need for structural changes to create an environment that can rival East Asian models.

India’s Leading Institutes in THE Asia University Rankings 2025

The table below highlights India’s top 15 ranked universities and its data :

Rank	Institution	Overall Score	Teaching	Research Environment	Research Quality	Industry Income	International Outlook
38	Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru	65.2	64.1	65.2	97.3	68.1	31.6
111	Anna University, Chenna	52.3	80.0	43.3	65.8	34.1	20.2
131	Indian Institute of Technology Indore	49.4	70.8	52.2	35.5	32.8	35.0
140	Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam	48.6	57.8	53.5	34.5	45.0	28.0
146	Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences	48.1	81.5	35.7	22.6	25.8	71.4
149	Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai	47.8	83.4	40.8	19.4	19.4	72.5
161	Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi	46.9	75.4	48.7	40.9	18.9	40.4
184	Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati	44.8	60.8	42.0	52.7	30.9	30.9
184	KIIT University, Bhubaneswar	44.8	63.2	45.9	55.9	20.9	41.7
188	Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh	44.5	68.8	50.0	36.3	18.0	39.8
188	UPES, Dehradun	44.5	76.6	35.2	21.3	23.6	54.9
191	Indian Institute of Technology Patna	44.4	75.2	39.4	28.7	27.5	21.2
191	National Institute of Technology Rourkela	44.4	71.7	35.2	55.2	25.3	21.9
200	International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad	43.8	66.7	31.7	57.5	25.7	41.3
201–250	Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi	41.3–43.7	62.8	57.2	29.6	20.8	26.4