Panjab University’s struggle to reclaim its past global standing continues, with the institution slipping to the 701-800 band in the newly released Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027.
The rankings are announced on the basis of a total of five parameters, including teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement and international outlook. the data reveals a starker reality: a clear slide across critical research and industry parameters that has pushed the institution further down the global leaderboard Although university officials downplayed the drop. “The ranking system is based on several parameters and institutions compete across different strengths. Panjab University has shown improvement in its own performance indicators every year. Research quality remains one of our strongest areas and there is no reason to conclude that the university has slipped. Some factors, including faculty shortages, may have had an impact on certain parameters, but overall our performance has improved,” Verma maintained. Regional private institutions, including Chitkara University and Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, also figure in this global tier. The University of Oxford, located in the United Kingdom, once again secured the top position in the rankings for the 11th consecutive year.
Solan, clinched a place in the 451-500 tier, highest in the region, PU dropped further after stagnating in the 601-800 bracket for three consecutive years While Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences. Among other Indian universities in the 701-800 bracket are established public institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Delhi and Indian Institute of Technology Patna, alongside new entrants like Central University of Himachal Pradesh and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly.
Responding to the latest rankings, PU registrar Yajvender Pal Verma said there was “no reason” to interpret the result as a deterioration in the university’s academic standing.
