Mumbai: QS Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), global higher education analysts, will release the BRICS University Rankings, a dedicated ranking of the top universities in the five BRICS countries, on 20 July 2016 (Wednesday). The QS has announced that this year the ranking table will feature extended 250 leading institutions across Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa compared to 200 leading institutions in the previous year.

QS University Rankings for BRICS provides an overview of leading higher education institutes in five emerging markets such as BRICS nations. The ranking is based on eight key performance indicators, reflecting global reputation, internationalization, academic staff levels, and research production and impact.

The addition of 50 more institutions this year will provide broader picture on comparisons both within and across the five nations. As the BRICS countries are advocating for greater economic integration among themselves, the ranking could play a key tool for identifying suitable partners for academic research and knowledge exchange in the higher education space.

China was the dominant player in the table in 2015 as three Chinese Universities Chinkeyese universities – Tsinghua University, Peking University and Fudan University – topped the first three positions followed by Russia’s Lomonosov Moscow State University, and India’s Indian Institute of Science Bangalore. Five Indian institutes found places among Top 20 in 2015: Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (5), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (13), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (16), Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (18), and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (20).