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475 Best Public Universities in India

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay leads the 475 Public universities in India at #118 in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Next come Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (QS World #180) and Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (QS World #222). Across the whole list there are 1,769 courses to choose from.

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How these universities are ranked

9 of these universities hold a QS World position, from #118 (Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay) to #580 (Jawaharlal Nehru University); they are listed first, in that order. The rest are ordered by research impact. Banaras Hindu University has the largest research record in this group, with 3,956,306 citations and an h-index of 411. 112 universities have neither a QS position nor a research record yet and appear at the end, marked "Not yet ranked".

Public, private and where they are

The split is 475 public to 0 private institutions. The oldest is Manipal University, founded in 1953. Manipal University is the largest, with 35,000 students.

What the courses look like

By level: 985 bachelor's, 532 master's, 122 phd / doctorate and 69 diploma. The most common subjects are Engineering (310), Business & Management (124), Languages & Linguistics (90) and Computer Science & IT (85). The usual length is 4 years and 1–2 years. 99% are full-time and 7 can be studied online. Start dates lean to Fall (96% of courses with a stated intake) and Spring (89% of courses with a stated intake). Goa University offers the widest choice, with 68 of these courses.

Frequently asked questions

What are the top universities for Public in India?

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (QS World #118), Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (QS World #180) and Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (QS World #222) lead this list. QS World positions come first; the rest are ranked by research impact.

How many public universities offer Public in India?

475 public and 0 private universities are on this list.

How long does a Public course take in India?

Most listed courses run 4 years, with 1–2 years the next most common.

When do Public courses start in India?

Fall is the main intake — 96% of courses with a stated start date begin then, and Spring is the second.

Can I study Public online with a university in India?

7 of these courses are listed as online.

Which university has the most Public courses in India?

Goa University, with 68, ahead of Vellore Institute of Technology (64).

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