QS Asia Rankings 2026: IITs Slip, CAT 2025 Admit Card Nov 12, IIT Madras Startups Initiative & TN TET Hall Ticket

Nov 4, 2025

Published: Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Top IITs See Sharp Decline in QS Asia Rankings 2026

All but one of the top 10 Indian institutions in the QS rankings of Asian universities for 2026, including seven IITs, have seen their ranks fall sharply this year, with institutions in China, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore outperforming them, according to the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026, released today by global higher education analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds.

IIT Delhi's Steepest Fall and Historical Context

IIT Delhi, which remains the country's top-ranked institution for the second consecutive year, stood at 59th position this year, a steep fall of 15 ranks from last year's 44th position. From 2021 to 2025, the institute's rank ranged from 44 to 47. Among the top 10 Indian institutions, IIT Bombay saw the sharpest fall in ranking, dropping 23 positions this year to 71st in the 2026 edition, down from 48th in 2025.

IIT Bombay was the highest-ranked among Indian institutions from at least 2021 to 2024, with its rank ranging from 37th in 2021 to 42nd in 2022, and 40th in the two years after that. The only Indian institution in the top 10 that saw improvement compared to last year was Chandigarh University, a private university, with a rank of 109 this year, up from 120 last year.

Regional Dominance and Eastward Shift

Globally, institutions in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Singapore dominate the top 10 ranks, with The University of Hong Kong taking first position, displacing China's Peking University to second place. The National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore ranked joint third. In addition, institutions from South Korea and Malaysia made it to the top 20 ranks.

"The 2026 edition of the QS Asia University Rankings reflects a clear eastward concentration of top performance, driven by sustained improvement in East and Southeast Asian higher education systems," QS stated in response to questions from The Indian Express. Referring to Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia, QS added: "In contrast, Indian institutions — while retaining strong reputations — face stiffer competition from these countries, which are outperforming them in research impact, faculty resources, and international engagement".

Relative Decline Despite Score Improvements

The decline in ranks among nine of the top 10 Indian institutions is relative—their total scores have all improved compared to last year, but they have dropped ranks relative to other institutions in Asia. QS pointed to specific areas where Indian institutions have seen performance declines relative to regional peers: the 'citations per paper' metric measuring research impact, faculty-student ratio, and internationalisation metrics like international student ratio.

On 'citations per paper', QS noted that top Indian institutions "saw weaker scores in this metric — for instance, IIT Delhi (31.5), IIT Bombay (20.0), and IIT Madras (20.3) – indicating reduced research visibility or fewer highly cited outputs compared to regional peers." While these three IITs scored higher on this metric than last year by a few points each, they have not caught up with institutions in the global top 10 ranks that scored in the high 90s.

On the 'faculty-student ratio' metric, QS stated that "many IITs continue to face challenges here, with scores ranging from 16.5 (IIT Kharagpur) to 40.9 (IIT Delhi), reflecting large class sizes and resource constraints relative to leading Asian universities." The IITs have also fared poorly on 'international student ratio', with scores ranging from 2.5 (IIT Kharagpur) to 12.3 (IIT Roorkee), despite marginal improvements compared to last year.

CAT 2025 Admit Card Release Postponed to November 12

The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, which is administering the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2025 this year, will issue admit cards on November 12, according to the revised announcement. The official website iimcat.ac.in will make the CAT 2025 hall ticket download link available, requiring candidates to use their CAT application login ID and password.

Revised Timeline and Candidate Statistics

Earlier, IIM Kozhikode had announced November 5 as the CAT 2025 admit card release date, and the official website still displays the same. As per IIM Kozhikode data, CAT 2025 will be taken by 2.95 lakh candidates. Last year, 2.93 lakh candidates appeared for the exam; of them, 1.07 lakh were female candidates, 1.86 lakh were male candidates, and five were transgender candidates.

Examination Schedule and Security Measures

CAT 2025 will be held on November 30 in three sessions with a duration of 120 minutes. While announcing the revised admit card date, IIM Kozhikode also stated that IIMs reserve the right to change the test date and time if the situation merits. The examination evaluates candidates on three sections: verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC), quantitative ability (QA), and data interpretation and logical reasoning (DILR).

A mock test with sample questions to familiarise candidates with the exam format and interface will also be made available on the CAT website starting from November 12. IIMs have taken additional measures to ensure examination security, including the deployment of mobile jammers in select locations, according to the IIM Kozhikode statement.

Historical Timeline Reference

Last year, CAT was held on November 24, with provisional answer keys and final answer keys released on December 3 and December 17, respectively. CAT 2024 results were declared on December 19, providing a reference timeline for this year's candidates.

IIT Madras Launches 'Startups for All' Initiative

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has launched a new initiative, 'Startups for All', through its Centre for Research on Start-ups and Risk Financing (CREST), to make critical startup-related information accessible and affordable to all, according to the official announcement. Developed in collaboration with YNOS, an IIT Madras-incubated startup, the project aims to bridge the information gap that has long hindered founders, investors, and other ecosystem players.

Comprehensive Digital Platform and Database

The initiative was launched by Dr Palanivel Thiagarajan, Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, Government of Tamil Nadu, during the 'TN Global Startup Summit' held recently in Chennai. IIT Madras CREST and YNOS have developed India's only independent digital platform dedicated to startups, which already hosts over 2.75 lakh startups, 15,000 angel investors, 5,500 venture capital firms, 1,400 incubators, 800 banks, and 110 government support schemes, making it the country's largest and most comprehensive startup database.

Addressing Information Asymmetry

Professor Thillai Rajan A, head of CREST and faculty member at the Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras, explained: "Information asymmetry has long been one of the biggest barriers for founders. Through the 'Startups for All' initiative, we aim to level the playing field by giving every entrepreneur and citizen — irrespective of location or background — equal access to credible information that supports smarter decisions and faster growth".

Affordable Access Model

The platform offers free initial access with complimentary credits for registered users to explore startup and investor profiles, followed by a pay-as-you-go micro-payment model. This approach enables entrepreneurs, especially from smaller towns and institutions, to access verified funding data, investor preferences, and engagement models without heavy subscription costs.

By breaking down barriers to information, IIT Madras' "Startups for All" seeks to empower students, researchers, and first-time founders—helping them build, scale, and sustain ventures that contribute to India's innovation-driven future in support of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision and $5 trillion economy target.

Tamil Nadu TET Hall Tickets Released for November Examinations

The Teachers Recruitment Board has released hall tickets for candidates appearing in the Tamil Nadu Teacher Eligibility Test (TNTET) Paper I and Paper II for 2025, according to the official notification. Candidates who have successfully registered for the exam can now download their admit cards through the official website at trb.tn.gov.in.

Examination Schedule and Download Process

According to the official notification, candidates must use their User ID and Password to access and download the hall ticket from November 3, 2025, onwards. It is mandatory for all candidates to carry the printed hall ticket to the examination centre, as entry will not be permitted without it. The TNTET Paper I (for classes I to V) will be held on November 15, 2025, while the TNTET Paper II (for classes VI to VIII) is scheduled for November 16, 2025.

Important Instructions and Finality of Data

The examinations will be conducted in OMR-based offline mode. The Board has clarified that the data entered by candidates in their online application form will be treated as final. Requests for modification of application details or change of examination centre will not be entertained under any circumstances.

Candidates can download their admit cards by visiting trb.tn.gov.in, clicking on the link titled 'TNTET 2025 Hall Ticket for Paper I and Paper II', entering their User ID and Password in the required fields, clicking the 'Login' button to view the hall ticket, and downloading and taking a clear printout for the examination centre. Candidates are advised to carefully read all instructions printed on the hall ticket regarding exam timing, venue, and permissible items inside the examination hall.