Mumbai University has witnessed a sharp decline in its overall position in the QS World University Rankings 2027, falling from 664th place last year to the 901-950 band this year, marking its lowest standing in four years. Despite the setback in the overall rankings, the university recorded a remarkable rise in graduate employment outcomes, securing the 25th position globally after climbing 70 places in a single year.
According to the QS press statement, Mumbai University delivered one of the most significant year-on-year improvements across any indicator in this edition. The university had secured the 95th rank in employment outcomes last year with a score of 91. In the latest rankings, its score surged to 99.5, elevating it to the 25th position worldwide. The University of Delhi also performed strongly in the same metric, registering a score of 98.6.
Mumbai University Vice-Chancellor Ravindra Kulkarni said the latest results reflected the institution's enduring strengths in graduate employability, alumni impact, institutional reputation, and its multidisciplinary academic ecosystem. He stated that after conducting careful self-assessment of its ranking performance, the university had prepared a strategic roadmap aimed at strengthening global competitiveness and improving its international standing.
In comparison, several Indian Institutes of Technology, despite their strong global reputations, recorded lower scores in the employment outcomes indicator. IIT Delhi registered a score of 59.6, IIT Bombay scored 78.2, while IIT Madras secured 53.2. QS noted that the employment outcomes indicator evaluates graduate employability, career progression, and the extent of institutional engagement with employers, making it highly sensitive to placement ecosystems and industry connections.
V Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani and former Director of IIT Delhi, questioned the disparity between traditional universities and the Indian Institutes of Technology. He stated that Mumbai University and the University of Delhi offer diverse academic programmes and produce a much larger number of graduates annually. He added that the Indian Institutes of Technology are primarily focused on engineering education and generally perform better in employability. According to him, the stronger performance of traditional universities in employment outcomes compared with the Indian Institutes of Technology appeared unrealistic.
Dr Ashwin Fernandes, QS India Chair and Vice-President for Strategic and International Engagement, said employment outcomes should be interpreted alongside employer reputation because both indicators evaluate employability from different perspectives. He noted that while the Indian Institutes of Technology dominate employer reputation rankings, traditional universities such as Mumbai University and the University of Delhi perform better in employment outcomes due to their extensive alumni networks and representation across multiple sectors, including business.
However, Mumbai University's employer reputation score stood at only 21, significantly lower than IIT Bombay's score of 97.8. The difference highlighted the gap between employers' perception of institutions and the measurable career outcomes achieved by graduates.
The latest QS World University Rankings 2027 underline a striking contrast for Mumbai University. Although its overall global standing has fallen to its lowest level in four years, the institution has emerged as one of the world's strongest performers in graduate employment outcomes, underscoring the impact of its vast alumni network, diverse academic programmes, and deep engagement with multiple sectors of the economy.
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