Punjab, Haryana universities feature avid global bands in Times Higher Education Rankings 2026

CHANDIGARH: Universities from Punjab and Haryana have been listed across several rank bands in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, reflecting varied performance on indicators related to teaching environment, research quality, citation impact, industry engagement and international outlook.At the higher end among institutions from the two states is Lovely Professional University, which has been placed in the 501–600 global band, making it the highest-ranked university from Punjab and Haryana in the latest edition.A group of universities from Punjab features in the 601–800 band. Panjab University continues its presence in this category, maintaining its position among mid-ranked global institutions.

Also placed in the same band are Central University of Punjab and Chitkara University. Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology has also been ranked in the 601–800 bracket, adding to the representation of technical and private institutions from the state within this range.In the 1001–1200 global band, Punjab and Haryana are represented by several centrally funded institutions. Indian Institute of Technology Ropar and Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology Jalandhar appear in this category, alongside Central University of Haryana.

These universities are assessed by Times Higher Education using the same framework applied to comprehensive institutions worldwide.The 1201–1500 band includes several universities from Haryana. Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology and Amity University Gurugram are listed in this range. O P Jindal Global University has also made its entry into the world rankings in the same band, marking its debut in the overall Times Higher Education global table.The 2026 rankings include more than 2,100 universities from over 115 countries and territories. While institutions from Punjab and Haryana remain outside the top global tiers dominated by long-established universities in North America, Europe and East Asia, their continued presence across ranking bands points to gradual gains in research participation and international visibility, factors that are central to future movement within the rankings.