The Times Higher Education (THE) magazine has revealed the World University Rankings, which include 91 Indian universities for the first time ever. The highest-performing Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, has returned to the top 250 rankings for the first time since 2017.

Despite the top Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) boycotting the rankings for the fourth year in a row, the number of Indian institutions that made the list this year – 91 – is much more than the 75 that made it there last year, says PTI.

India has also moved up from sixth place last year to fourth place in the rankings.

The other best-performing universities in India are Anna University in Chennai, Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi, Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, and Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences in Solan, according to rankings released on Wednesday, September 27, by the London-based THE magazine. They are all in the range of 501 to 600.

From bands 1001 to 1200 to bands 601 to 800, two IITs— the Indian Institute of Technology in Guwahati and the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) in Dhanbad — moved up.

Aligarh Muslim University moved up from the 801-1000 band last year to the 601-800 band, while Anna University in Chennai moved up from the 801-1000 band to the 501-600 band.

Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, has entered the list for the first time, breaking into the 601-800 band, while Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, moved up from the 801-1000 band to the 601-800 band last year.

The openness and criteria of the rankings were questioned when seven IITs, including Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, and Roorkee, chose not to participate in the 2020 edition of THE World University Rankings. Last year, IIT Guwahati reentered the ranks.