India has for the second consecutive year outperformed China in the QS Asia University Rankings 2025, signalling a significant improvement in the country’s higher education.

With 193 Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) ranked in the list from India, the country showed the highest growth in university representation. The list also includes 21 new entrants.

India was followed by China with 135 universities, and Japan with 115 universities, according to the latest annual list of Asia’s best universities released by global higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds.

India surpassed China in the 2024 QS ranking with 148 ranked universities. Only 133 educational institutes from China made to the list last year.

The 2025 edition features 984 universities across 25 higher education systems in Asia. It is 127 more than last year.

About seven Indian universities are featured in the top 100 institutes in Asia. The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) ranked the highest followed by IIT Bombay, which slipped to second place. Other names include the University of Delhi, IISc Bangalore, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Kanpur.

“India’s academic prowess is illustrated through remarkable research output and an exceptional number of PhD-trained faculty, setting a benchmark for regional and global peers while enhancing the international reputation of its universities,” Jessica Turner, QS CEO, said in a statement.

In academic reputation Indian Indian universities got 75 per cent, while in employer reputation it was 73 per cent.

The report showed that research productivity represents a major strength for Indian universities. Of Asia’s top five universities in ‘papers per faculty’, four are Indian, with Anna University coming in second.

In addition, Indian universities also showed a high level of staff expertise, with eight universities tied in second place in ‘staff with PhD’.

However, the country did not perform well in internationalisation indicators, particularly ‘international students’. In this list Amity University, came 87th, while no other institute figured in the top 100.