Chandigarh University Among India’s Top Performers in QS World University Rankings 2026

From what started as an aspirational vision to a nationally recognized reality - Chandigarh University is now officially amongst India's top performers in The QS World University Rankings 2026, and has once again demonstrated that it is undoubtedly one of India’s fastest-growing universities. The results were announced on June 19, 2025, and CU's name was the exciting result of what can happen when education is driven by purpose, innovation and a strong commitment to global standards. 

In a nation currently stimulating a revolution in higher education, this success represents one thing - it amazes beyond pointing fingers at another statistic. The university is innately devoted to quality teaching, innovative research, partnership success and mindfulness in student care and empowerment. It has achieved sustained improvements in all of QS’s key metrics: almost half of which are focused on employer reputation, global research and academic influence. Chandigarh University is not just meeting global expectations; they’re changing them. 

For students, faculty, and stakeholders, the acknowledgment represents a proud point in their history and a compelling promise: that world-class education, global exposure, and future-ready opportunities are now truly accessible - right here in India.  

In this blog, we explore how Chandigarh University became a part of the world's best, the planning involved in their ascent, and what this means for the next generation of learners who decide to choose CU as the place to learn. 

India’s Growing Presence in the QS World Rankings 

The QS World University Rankings are a reputable global measure of academic performance, ranking thousands of Institutions on many indicators including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty to student ratio, international engagement and research output. 

In 2026, India made notable progress: 

• 54 Indian universities featured in the QS World rankings—an increase from 46 the previous year. 

• India now ranks 4th globally in terms of the number of institutions listed, behind only the United States, United Kingdom, and China. 

Even though no university in India has cracked the Top 100, with Results showing:  

• 3 universities in the Top 200 (up from 2)  

• 6 in the Top 300  

• and 10 in the Top 500 indicating a growing recognition for India's academic space internationally. 

A notable addition just outside the Top 500 is Chandigarh University which ranked #575 worldwide. This position is not simply a rank for a relatively young university, this is also an indication of growing international trust in CU as an academic and research institution. 

India’s Universities Make Big Gains in QS World Rankings 2026

Several universities in India have improved on their placement in the QS World University Rankings 2026 when compared with the past year. Among these universities were IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, VIT as well as Chandigarh University. IIT Delhi hit an all-time high of 123rd, improving 27 places from last year’s 150th. IIT Madras greatly improved, rising 47 places during this time to 180th. IIT Bombay stayed in the top 130 at 129th. 

Delhi University and Anna University also made positive progress. The most improvement was made by Chandigarh University which improved 125 places from its previous year rank, the single largest jump by an Indian university in the report this year.  

A total of 54 universities in India ranked this year for 2026 compared to just 11 in 2014, and India now ranks 4th for the number of institutions appearing in the ranking. Almost half of the Indian institutions made positive movement on this year's QS World University rankings demonstrating the impact of ongoing reforms and continuous improvement of research output in India as well as a greater number of international collaborations among many institutions. 

Breaking the Binary: Excelling Nationally and Globally 

Breaking the Binary: National and Global Excellence 

The Indian approach to higher education mainly caters to national or global forms of excellence. Either a university will get either high ranks in a national framework such as NIRF or recognition in global frameworks such as QS or Times Higher Education. Very few have managed to maintain a good performance on both fronts simultaneously. 

Chandigarh University is one such rare exception. 

CU rose from the 27th position to the 20th in the NIRF 2024 rankings in the university category. It also saw its score rise from 54.63 to 59.96-an impressive 26% improvement. 

At the same time, CU had jumped the QS ladder from its rank somewhere in the 801–1000 band in 2023 to a much more respectable #575 in 2026. 

This signal dual-track growth indicates a structural transformation rather than a superficial strategy. This means that the academic developments in CU stand well in adjudicating frameworks-whether national or international. 

Making the Move from Out of Mind to the Top 2%: An Evidenced-Based, Steady Climb 

CU's ascent to a rank in the global rankings was not an overnight experience, but rather a multi-year process based on vision, strategy, and implementation. The following outlines CU's QS world rankings trajectory: 

• 2023 - 801-1000 band  

• 2024 - 771-780 band 

• 2025 - 691-700 band 

• 2026 - 575 

CU has now climbed more than 400 positions in four years and is now considered to be in the Top 2% of more than 28,500 universities worldwide.  

The fact that CU is one of only 15 Indian universities in the QS Top 500 - and among the youngest - tells a great deal about our planning and execution over the long haul. 

CU’s QS 2026 Performance: Breaking Down the Metrics 

Chandigarh University's global rank of #575 is further supported by its performance across multiple metrics: 

• #16 overall in India. 

• #2 in private universities in India. 

• #147 globally in Employer Reputation. 

• #7 in India in Employer Reputation.  

• #12 in India in  

• International Research Network. 

• #13 in India in Academic Reputation.  

• Over 4,300 patents filed which places CU in the Top 5 of the research-intensive universities in India.  

If rankings alone are proof of a self-evolving university, these are indicators of a university that is not just growing, but evolving.  CU's employer reputation ranking signals that its graduates are globally regarded as "industry-ready." Its developing research network and increasing patent filings show its valuable commitment to innovation and knowledge production. 

The Institutional Drivers Behind CU’s Success 

The numbers only tell part of the story. CU's rise is attributed to a singular strategic focus and a radical shift in its orientation towards education.  

1. Research with Impact:

CU is a culture of innovative problem solving, and with over 4,300 patent applications, the University takes a largely interdisciplinary approach to its research that is focused on solving societal and industry issues. 

2. Curriculums and Ties to the Future: 

CU's developed partnerships with organizations such as Microsoft, IBM, Google and Intel, mean that CU has the ability to ensure that curriculums are on the leading edge of industry with regard to emerging trends and ensure that students are focused on developing and innovating and not just learning and solving. 

3. Local Reach with Global Perspective: 

CU's partnerships with over 400 foreign universities and activity mobilizing many thousands of international students, means that CU is successfully connecting many students with an international experience through exchanges, co-research and international internships. 

4. Outcomes first:

The commitment to student development is more than academic. CU invests in the development of the holistic professional through; Career Counselling, International placements, start-up incubator and leadership mentoring.  

5. Progressive Leadership: 

One of the biggest differentiators to CU is its progressive leadership. CU is committed to green spaces and developing new campuses as well as innovating in the areas of AI, blockchain and quantum technologies.  CU leads with vision, not imitation. 

CU’s Broader Role in the Indian Education Story 

The rise of Chandigarh University is not an easy institutional success story. It is an excellent national research paper proving that Indian universities can offer world-class education without sacrificing their relevance to the local culture.  

Note: The views expressed in this article are of Chandigarh University and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha