Chandigarh, June 20: Panjab University (PU) has climbed to the 901–950 bracket in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2026, marking its best performance in the past six years. However, the state-run institution continues to trail behind private regional universities such as Shoolini University and Chandigarh University, according to the rankings released on Thursday.
PU, which had remained in the 1,000–1,200 category for the past two years, recorded an upward move due to improved performance across all assessment parameters, officials said.
“This time, we focused on accurate data collection, ensuring it was verified by the internal quality assurance cell,” said PU vice-chancellor Renu Vig. “Earlier, our numbers were under-reported. We’re especially pleased with our improvements in internationalisation metrics, an area we had struggled with in past years.”
Despite this progress, PU lags behind its private counterparts. Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences in Solan rose from rank 587 in 2025 to 503 in the 2026 rankings. Chandigarh University (CU), based in Gharuan, jumped significantly from the 691–700 bracket to rank 575.
The University of the Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan—of which Panjab University was once a part before the Partition—also ranked higher, securing position 542 globally. Among Indian institutions, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi was the top performer, ranked 123 worldwide.
Panjab University has fluctuated in global rankings in recent years. In 2018, it was listed in the 801–1,000 band. Its performance dipped in 2023 when it fell to the 1,201–1,400 bracket, marking its lowest placement. Since then, the university has made consistent efforts to regain its standing.
The QS rankings are one of the most influential global university performance assessments and consider indicators such as academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, international faculty and students, and citations per faculty.
