NEW DELHI: In the competitive world of global higher education, rankings such as those from Times Higher Education (THE) and QS World University Rankings have become key indicators for prospective students, faculty, and institutions. These rankings not only help to gauge an institution’s standing internationally but also reflect the university’s academic reputation, research output, employer relations, and student satisfaction. As India continues to strengthen its position as a hub for engineering education, three Indian institutes — the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), and VIT University — have made notable appearances in both the THE and QS rankings for 2025.
Here is a comparative analysis of the key metrics from both ranking agencies, aimed at understanding the strengths and weaknesses of these institutes within the context of global higher education.
Comparing the Rankings: An Overview
While both THE and QS provide global assessments, they use different methodologies to rank universities. THE focuses heavily on research performance, teaching quality, international diversity, and industry income, while QS prioritises academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations, and faculty-student ratios. Despite some common factors, the weightage assigned to each of these elements varies, leading to noticeable differences in the rankings of the same institution.
For the 2025 rankings, IIT Indore, IIT Guwahati, and VIT University are all ranked in distinct categories, with varying degrees of success in the two systems. Let’s break down their performances to get a clearer picture of how they fare.
Analyzing IIT Indore’s Standing in the 2025 Rankings
IIT Indore has shown a relatively better performance in the QS rankings for 2025, with a position of 477, compared to a more modest placement in the THE rankings (501-600). This indicates that IIT Indore is perceived as having a stronger academic reputation in global circles, reflected in its QS Academic Reputation score of 6.1.
When we look at teaching and industry engagement, IIT Indore performs better in THE, with a teaching score of 43.6, surpassing its QS Employer Reputation score of 5. However, its research impact as measured by citations per faculty in QS (95.6) highlights a notable strength in this area. Overall, IIT Indore’s performance in the QS ranking reflects a focus on international academic standing, while THE measures its teaching quality and industry collaboration more robustly.
IIT Guwahati: A Stronger QS Performer
The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) shows a stark contrast in the two rankings, with a much stronger performance in the QS Rankings (344) compared to THE (801-1000). IITG has excelled in the QS Academic Reputation category (18.8), which is a key metric for this ranking system. Furthermore, IITG’s QS Employer Reputation score of 32 underlines its strong connections with industry, as does its high Industry Score of 52.7 in THE. However, its THE Teaching score (35.6) suggests that there is room for improvement in pedagogical approaches compared to its research output.
The high research impact score of 97.6 in QS indicates IITG’s focus on cutting-edge research, which contributes to its stronger position in the QS rankings. On the other hand, THE’s lower placement might be due to its emphasis on other factors such as global diversity, student-staff ratio, and teaching quality.
VIT University: A Growing Reputation
VIT University, while not in the same league as the IITs in terms of rankings, shows solid performance in both ranking systems. It is ranked in the 601-800 range in THE and 791-800 in QS. VIT’s QS Academic Reputation of 12.7 is a significant improvement compared to its THE Teaching score of 28.4. This suggests that VIT is gradually building its academic reputation, but it still has a long way to go in improving its research output and global visibility.
The QS Research Impact score for VIT is relatively low (18.9), indicating that while the institution may have a large number of students, it is yet to make a notable impact in global research circles. However, VIT’s Industry Score in THE (36) and its employer reputation in QS (16.1) suggest that it has a strong connection with industry, which could be a crucial factor in its future rankings.
The Key Takeaways: What Sets Them Apart?
Global Academic Reputation: IITG leads in QS Academic Reputation (18.8), significantly outperforming both IIT Indore and VIT University, which suggests that IITG is perceived more favourably by academics worldwide.
Industry Engagement: IIT Indore and IITG both excel in THE’s industry score, with IITG showing the best employer reputation score in QS (32), while VIT is not far behind.
Research Impact: IIT Indore’s citations per faculty (95.6) stand out, while IITG’s research impact also shines in QS. VIT, in contrast, has much lower research impact.
What the Rankings Reveal About These Institutes
The performances of IIT Indore, IIT Guwahati, and VIT University in the THE and QS Rankings for 2025 illustrate distinct strengths across these prestigious institutions. While QS seems to favour IIT Guwahati in terms of academic and employer reputation, THE highlights the strong teaching and industry partnerships of IIT Indore. VIT University, although lagging behind in both rankings, is steadily building its academic standing and industry connections. As these institutions continue to evolve, their positions in future rankings will likely reflect changes in research output, teaching methodologies, and international collaborations.