IITs see steady slide in world rankings, report says

MUMBAI: Lakhs of teenagers may be aspiring to join the Indian Institutes of Technology, but over time, as their international peers have been inching upwards, these elite national colleges have been taking a beating in the global rankings. Between 2009 and 2013, the IITs saw a steady slide in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rankings.

This year, five IITs remained the country's only representatives in the top 400 list. In the Asian rankings, most institutes slid in their positions compared to 2012.

The analysis by QS states: "The five leading Indian institutions all rank lower than last year, and there has been a general lack of progress since the rankings began in 2009—surprising, since for much of that period the Indian economy was expanding at a rate of up to 9% per year."

In 2009, IIT-Bombay led the pack at 163; over the last five years, it fell several spots. Experts said the IITs had increased research publication, though comparatively low citation rates suggested they were yet to achieve widespread impact within academic community.

In Asia, IIT-Delhi was at 38 (36 last year) and IIT-Bombay at 39 (34). The University of Delhi was at 80 (78), the University of Mumbai improved its ranking to 140 (151-160) and the University of Calcutta retained its position at 143.