IIT Bombay enters the top 150 of the QS world rankings, eight years after IISc did so

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai has attained its highest-ever ranking, breaking into the world's top 150 universities, according to the newest edition of the QS World University Ranking, which was revealed late Tuesday night. This is the first time in eight years that an Indian higher education school has made the top 150 list, with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore previously accomplishing this accomplishment with a position of 147 in 2016.

In this year's edition of the rankings, IIT Bombay has risen 23 places to clinch the 149th position internationally. However, the list has undergone major swings, with IISc dropping 70 spots from 155th to 225th. It is now the third-highest-ranked Indian institution after becoming the finest Indian institution the previous year. IIT Delhi dropped from 174 to 197, IIT Kanpur from 264 to 278, and IIT Madras from 250 to 285.

The volatility has been attributed in part by the UK-based ranking firm QS Quacquarelli Symonds to an adjustment of the assessment standards this year. It added three additional metrics, each with a 5% weightage: sustainability, employment results, and international research network.

QS adjusted the priority of other factors to accommodate the three new indicators. The weightage assigned to the academic reputation indicator has been reduced from 40% to 30%. Similarly, the importance of the faculty-student ratio has been reduced from 15% to 10%, while the importance of the employer reputation indication has been enhanced from 10% to 15%.