Panjab University ranks higher than IITs in global ranking

LONDON: Panjab University at Chandigarh has left Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) behind to enter the top 400 club as per the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2013-14.

Panjab University, which shifted from Lahore to India in 1947, enters the elite club for the first time, getting its place among universities ranked between 226 and 250.

It is followed by new entrants IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur in the 351-400 band. IIT Kharagpur has slipped from 226-250 into the 351-400 group. But IIT Roorkee stays in the 351-400 group as last year.

“These results should be encouraging for India: while no Indian institution makes the top 200…India now has five representatives in the top 400 – a sign of growing commitment to the global rankings,’’ according to Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

He said, “The drive in India to share more data and to compare its institutions against the trusted, established and rigorous standards set by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings is a great step to improved quality.’’

Though it doesn’t excel in research, Panjab University has been awarded the higher ranking because it has scored very high on academic research which has proved valuable for the global academic community.

The California institute of Technology remains at the top for the third consecutive year, followed by Harvard and Oxford at number two. Stanford is at number four, from two last year. MIT is at number five.