Mumbai: The University of Mumbai (MU) has broken into the top 20 educational institutions in India in the QS World University Rankings (WUR) 2026, marking a historic achievement. Ranked 17th nationally, the university also climbed to 664th globally — a significant jump from last year’s 711–720 band.

The rankings, released by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), place MU second among traditional universities in Maharashtra. It scored particularly high in Employment Outcomes (91), followed by 53.7 in Citations per Faculty, 41.3 in Sustainability, 31.5 in Employer Reputation, and 27.6 in International Research Network. The university also performed well in Academic Reputation, International Student Diversity, and Faculty-Student Ratio.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ravindra Kulkarni said, “These rankings are a testament to the dedicated and sustainable efforts made by every stakeholder of our university in research and development. We are delighted with these results and will continue to strive for even higher rankings in the future. We've initiated the University Department Ranking Framework (UDRF) to support this goal.”

In recent years, MU has introduced skill-based and professional courses, signed several national and international MoUs, and recorded a 156% rise in research paper publications in international journals. 12 departments are recognised under national programmes; over 80 teachers are on professional bodies, and 18 national/international awards have been won by faculty in the last five years. About 20 teachers travel abroad each year for academic engagement.

Among Indian institutions overall, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay continues to remain one of the country’s highest-ranked universities globally. Despite slipping 11 spots to 129th, it holds the second-best rank among Indian institutions after IIT Delhi, which jumped 27 places to 123rd in the 2026 QS rankings.

The QS World University Rankings assess global universities across multiple indicators, including academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, research impact, employer reputation, and international faculty and student presence.