The University of Oxford has held on to the top spot in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 announced this week, extending its record run to 11 consecutive years. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is second, with Princeton and Stanford sharing third place and Cambridge at fifth.

India’s best performer is the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, ranked 254th with a score of 57.0. Saveetha University sits in the 326-350 band, Shoolini University in the 451-500 band, and Jamia Millia Islamia and KIIT in the 501-550 band. The 2027 edition covers 2,297 institutions across 118 countries and territories.

A striking detail: India is now the most represented country in Asia with 143 ranked universities. The rankings also note that Asian universities as a group have moved ahead of mainland European institutions, underlining the region’s research momentum.

For Indian institutions, the message is mixed — strong representation, but the gap to the global top 200 remains. THE said the methodology continues to weigh teaching, research environment, research quality, industry income and international outlook.