Global University Reputation 2025: US Leads, Where Do India Rank?

The Times Higher Education (THE) World Reputation Rankings 2025 evaluates the most prestigious universities worldwide based on academic excellence and global recognition. Harvard University continues to dominate the rankings for the 14th consecutive year, followed by the University of Oxford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) sharing the second spot. This year, four Indian institutions made it to the list, though all witnessed a decline in rankings. Additionally, Odisha’s Shiksha ‘O’ Anusandhan entered the rankings for the first time in the 201-300 band.

Key Highlights

Global Rankings

• Harvard University retained its top position for the 14th year in a row.
• University of Oxford and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shared the second position.
• Oxford University remains the only UK institution in the top 7, while US universities dominate the highest ranks.
• The rankings include 300 institutions from 38 countries.

Performance of Indian Universities

• Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru dropped from the 101-125 band in 2023 to the 201-300 band in 2025.
• IIT Delhi slipped from 151-175 to 201-300 band.
• IIT Madras fell from 176-200 to 201-300 band.
• IIT Bombay was removed from the list after previously being ranked in the 151-175 band.
• Shiksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA), Bhubaneswar, entered the rankings for the first time in the 201-300 band.

World Reputation Rankings 2025 Methodology

The ranking methodology includes six key parameters.

• Research Vote Count – Academic reputation in research.
• Teaching Vote Count – Reputation in teaching excellence.
• Research Pairwise Comparison – Direct comparison of research reputation among institutions.
• Teaching Pairwise Comparison – Direct comparison of teaching reputation among institutions.
• Research Voter Diversity – Diversity of the researchers who voted.
• Teaching Voter Diversity – Diversity of the faculty members participating in the voting process.