IISc breaks into top global 100 of THE's Reputation Ranking 2021

This year India also saw four universities being ranked, even as IIT Delhi appeared in the table for the first time

Breaking into the global top 100 list, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru is the highest ranked Indian institute in the latest Reputation Ranking by Times Higher Education (THE).

The annual Reputation Ranking lists the world’s top 200 most prestigious universities based on the opinions of 10,963 experienced, published academics. The ranking gives a clear picture of those universities across the globe that they believe have the best reputation for research and teaching.

While IISc improved its last year's rank of 125-150 band by being ranked in the 91-100 band, this year India saw four universities being ranked even as Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi appeared in the table for the first time. On the other hand, IIT Bombay climbed two ranking bands in reputation ranking 2021.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s University of Hong Kong also climbed into the top 50, South Korea’s Seoul National University rose four places to 41st and Yonsei University (Seoul Campus) moved up three ranking bands to enter the top 100 and India saw four universities ranked overall.

The ranking, comprising 202 universities from 29 countries and regions saw Harvard University in the United States retain its position at the very top of the table, with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retaining second place and the United Kingdom’s University of Oxford climbing two places to third in the year it played a pivotal role in delivering a Covid-19 vaccine. The University of Cambridge came fifth in a top ten that is otherwise dominated by the United States with the exception of a breakthrough result for mainland China, who’s Tsinghua University (10th) moved up three places to give the country its highest ever finish.

Commenting on the rankings, Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer at Times Higher Education said that reputation was a powerful currency for universities that played a vital role in attracting student talent, academic talent, new partnerships and even inward investment.

"Mainland China’s breakthrough into the top 10 and its results across the table show that its excellence in higher education is increasingly coming to the notice of the wider world. That fact means we could see a shift in the balance of power in global higher education over the coming years as mainland China becomes a more attractive proposition for academics and students to work and study. This could not only cause issues for the likes of the US and UK in terms of attracting talent, but also funding and prestige on the world stage," Baty added.