The 2025 edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject featuring 55 individual subjects across five broad subject areas (Arts and humanities, Engineering and technology, Life sciences and medicine, Natural sciences and Social sciences and management, was released on March 12.
The top 3 universities in these areas are : Harvard University, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge in Arts and humanities; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Oxford, and Stanford University in Engineering and technology; Harvard University, University of Oxford, and Johns Hopkins University in Life sciences and medicine; Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and University of Oxford in Natural sciences ; Harvard University, University of Oxford and Stanford University in Social sciences and management.
Confirming the reputation of IITs, five of India’s IITs along with Indian Institute of Science feature in top 100 in the broad subject area of engineering and technology, including computer science and a range of engineering disciplines. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi ( IITD) top ranked at #26 , followed by Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Indian #28, Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) #53, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) 60, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur IITK) #72, Indian Institute of Science #84, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR) # 131, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) #140, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India #142, Anna University #172, Chandigarh University & UPES # 231, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani #250, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai #280, Lovely Professional University (LPU) #308, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences and Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University) SOA (#401-450), Jadavpur University (#451-500).
Three IITs, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) #91, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) #95, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) #99 also rank in top 100 in Mathematics.
In the subject of Business and Management Studied, again popular perception of IIMs as top Indian B-schools has been reinforced. The rankings is as follows:
Indian Institute of Management (IIM) – Ahmedabad #27, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) #40, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) – Calcutta #56, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) #92, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) #113, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) – Lucknow #131, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) – Kozhikode #141, Indian School of Business #151-200, Symbiosis International (Deemed University) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) – Indore #201-250, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK), University of Delhi, XLRI Xavier School of Management #351-400, Chandigarh University #401-450, Amity University, Noida #451-500.
Interestingly in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, India has done well. Those ranked in #51-100 band include Indian Institute of Science, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) , Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK), Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP), Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India.
In Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences #145, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India #251-300, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research Chandigarh and Saveetha Institute of Medical And Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Tiruvallur both at # 501-550, and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri in #601-650 are some prominent names.
Interestingly in Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University # 51-100 is the only university featuring in these rankings.
There are five indicators that determine the QS World University Rankings by Subject:
Academic reputation
Drawing on responses from academics, this indicator demonstrates which universities other academics consider to be excellent for research in the given area. The results of the survey are then filtered according to the narrow area of expertise identified by respondents.
Employer reputation
The employer reputation indicator draws from the survey responses of graduate employers worldwide. Employers are asked to identify institutions they consider excellent for the recruitment of graduates. They are also asked to identify the disciplines from which they prefer to recruit.
Research citations per paper
All citations data is sourced from Elsevier Scopus. A minimum publication threshold is set for each subject to avoid potential anomalies stemming from small numbers of highly cited papers.
Both the minimum publications threshold and the weighting applied to the citations indicator are adapted in order to best reflect prevalent publication and citation patterns in a given discipline.
H-index
The H-index is a way of measuring both the productivity and impact of an academic or department at a university. The index is based on the set of the academic’s most cited papers and the number of citations they have received in other publications.
International research network (by broad faculty area)
The IRN Index reflects the ability of institutions to diversify the geography of their international research network by establishing sustainable research partnerships with other higher education institutions.
Reactions
MAHE has been ranked in eight narrow subjects and one broad subject, marking a significant milestone. In the latest rankings, MAHE has been recognized in key subject areas, including Life Sciences & Medicine, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Computer Science and Information Systems, Dentistry, Chemical Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy & Pharmacology, and Economics & Econometrics. Reacting to this achievement, Lt. Gen. (Dr.) M. D. Venkatesh, (VSM), Vice Chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) said, “In 2024, MAHE was acknowledged in key areas like Medicine, Pharmacy & Pharmacology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Dentistry, and this year’s expansion into new subject areas and improvements in ranking demonstrate our institution’s upward trajectory on the global stage. These accolades reinforce our commitment to fostering a world-class learning environment, driving pioneering research, and contributing to society through transformative education.” The rankings in the broad subject of Life Sciences have improved significantly, currently standing at 293, an improvement of 24 places from last year’s rank of 317, and Medicine 251- 300.
Shoolini University has made significant gains in Environmental Sciences from the 401-450 band in 2024 to 251-300 in 2025, Agriculture & Forestry in the 301-350 and Biological Sciences from 601-650 in 2024 to 501-550 in 2025.
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK) has made a notable improvement from last year’s 151-200 to 141 this year. In 2021, it ranked in the 401-500 range.
